Tak'alik Ab'aj (; ; ) is a pre-Columbian archaeological site in Guatemala. It was formerly known as Abaj Takalik; its ancient name may have been Kooja. It is one of several Mesoamerican sites with both Olmec and Maya features. The site flourished in the Preclassic and Classic periods, from the 9th century BC through to at least the 10th century AD, and was an important centre of commerce, trading with Kaminaljuyu and Chocolá. Investigations have revealed that it is one of the largest sites with sculptured monuments on the Pacific coastal plain. Olmec-style sculptures include a possible colossal head, petroglyphs and others. The site has one of the greatest concentrations of Olmec-style sculpture outside of the Gulf of Mexico, and was made a World Heritage Site in 2023 because of its long history of occupation.
Takalik Abaj is representative of the first blossoming of Maya culture that had occurred by about 400 BC. The site includes a Maya royal tomb and examples of Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions that are among the earliest from the Maya region. Excavation is continuing at the site; the monumental architecture and persistent tradition of sculpture in a variety of styles suggest the site was of some importance.
Finds from the site indicate contact with the distant metropolis of Teotihuacan in the Valley of Mexico and imply that Takalik Abaj was conquered by it or its allies. Takalik Abaj was linked to long-distance Maya trade routes that shifted over time but allowed the city to participate in a trade network that included the Guatemalan highlands and the Pacific coastal plain from Mexico to El Salvador.
Takalik Abaj was a sizeable city with the principal architecture clustered into four main groups spread across nine terraces. While some of these were natural features, others were artificial constructions requiring an enormous investment in labor and materials. The site featured a sophisticated water drainage system and a wealth of sculptured monuments.
Etymology
Tak'alik Ab'aj<nowiki>'</nowiki> means "standing stone" in the local Kʼicheʼ Maya language, combining the adjective tak'alik meaning "standing", and the noun abäj meaning "stone" or "rock". It was initially named Abaj Takalik by the American archaeologist Suzanna Miles, using Spanish word order. This was grammatically incorrect in Kʼicheʼ; the Guatemalan government has now officially corrected this to Tak'alik Ab'aj. Anthropologist Ruud Van Akkeren has proposed that the ancient name of the city was Kooja, the name of one of the highest-ranking elite lineages of the Mam Maya; Kooja means "Moon halo".
Location
left|thumb|350px|alt=Takalik Abaj is located in the middle of the Southern Maya Area. The landmass is bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, the Gulf of Mexico to the northwest and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, with Takalik Abaj lying near the Pacific Ocean.|Takalik Abaj in relation to the Olmec heartland
The site lies in the southwest of Guatemala, about from the border with the Mexican state of Chiapas and from the Pacific Ocean.
Takalik Abaj is located in the north of the municipality of El Asintal, in the extreme north of Retalhuleu department, some from Guatemala City. The site lies among five coffee plantations in the lower foothills of the Sierra Madre mountains; the Santa Margarita, San Isidro Piedra Parada, Buenos Aires, San Elías and Dolores plantations. Takalik Abaj sits upon a ridge running north–south, descending in a southwards direction. This ridge is bordered on the west by the Nimá River and on the east by the Ixchayá River, both flowing down from the Guatemalan Highlands. The Ixchayá flows in a deep ravine but a suitable crossing point is located near to the site. The situation of Takalik Abaj at this crossing point was probably important in the founding of the city, since this channeled important trade routes through the site and controlled access to them.
thumb|right|alt=A cleared area of bare soil strewn with rubble, with raised areas to the left and right and roofed with corrugated metal supported by timber poles|Excavations of the Middle Preclassic [[Mesoamerican ballcourt|ballcourt at Takalik Abaj]]
Takalik Abaj sits at an altitude of approximately above sea level in an ecoregion classed as subtropical moist forest. The temperature normally varies between and the potential evapotranspiration ratio averages 0.45. The area receives high annual rainfall, varying between , with an average annual rainfall of . Local vegetation includes the Pascua de Montaña (Pogonopus speciosus), Chichique (Aspidosperma megalocarpon), Tepecaulote (Luehea speciosa), Caulote or West Indian Elm (Guazuma ulmifolia), Hormigo (Platymiscium dimorphandrum), Mexican Cedar (Cedrela odorata), Breadnut (Brosimum alicastrum), Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) and Papaturria (Coccoloba montana).
A road, denominated 6W, passes the site running from the town of Retalhuleu to Colomba Costa Cuca in the department of Quetzaltenango. There are some hints from the indigenous chronicles that the inhabitants of the site may have been the Yoc Cancheb, a branch of the Mam Maya.
Economy and trade
thumb|left|Obsidian artefacts recovered from Takalik Abaj, including prismatic blades and obsidian cores.|alt=Six long, thin blades of dark volcanic glass, suspended vertically in a display cabinet. In front of them are two angular pieces of dark, shiny stone.
Takalik Abaj was one of a series of early sites on or near the Pacific coastal plain that were important commercial, ceremonial and political centres. It is apparent that it prospered from the production of cacao and from the trade routes that crossed the region. At the time of the Spanish Conquest in the 16th century the area was still important for its cacao production.
Study of obsidian recovered at Takalik Abaj indicates that the majority originated from the El Chayal and San Martín Jilotepeque sources in the Guatemalan highlands. Lesser quantities of obsidian originated from other sources such as Tajumulco, Ixtepeque and Pachuca. Obsidian is a natural volcanic glass that was used across Mesoamerica to make durable tools and weapons including knives, spearheads, arrowheads, bloodletters for ritual autosacrifice, prismatic blades for woodwork and many other day-to-day tools. The use of obsidian by the Maya has been likened to steel use in the modern world and it was widely traded throughout the Maya region and beyond. The proportion of obsidian from different sources varied over time:
{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|+ Variation in sources of obsidian artifacts at Takalik Abaj
{| align="center" | class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|+Approximate occupational timescale of Takalik Abaj
! Period
!colspan="2"| Division
! Dates
! Summary
|-
|rowspan="3"|Preclassic
|colspan="2"| Early Preclassic
| 1000–800 BC
| Diffuse population
|-
|colspan="2"| Middle Preclassic
| 800–300 BC
| Olmec
|-
|colspan="2"| Late Preclassic
| 300 BC – AD 200
| Early Maya
|-
|rowspan="3"|Classic
|colspan="2"| Early Classic
| AD 200–600
| Teotihuacan-linked conquest
|-
|rowspan="2"|Late Classic
| Late Classic
| AD 600–900
| Local recovery
|-
| Terminal Classic
| AD 800–900
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|Postclassic
|colspan="2"| Early Postclassic
| AD 900–1200
| Kʼicheʼ occupation
|-
|colspan="2"|Late Postclassic
| AD 1200–1524
| Abandonment
|-
|colspan="5"|Note: The period spans used at Takalik Abaj differ slightly from those generally used in the standard chronology applied to the wider Mesoamerican region.
|}
Early Preclassic
Takalik Abaj was first occupied at the end of the Early Preclassic period. The remains of an Early Preclassic residential area have been found to the west of the Central Group, on the bank of the El Chorro stream. These first houses were built with floors made from river cobbles and reed-thatched roofs supported on timber poles. Pollen analysis has revealed that the first inhabitants entered the area when it was still thick forest, which they began to clear in order to cultivate maize and other plants. Over 150 pieces of obsidian have been recovered from this area, known as El Escondite, mostly originating from the San Martín Jilotepeque and El Chayal sources.
Late Preclassic
right|alt=Line drawing of a stela, showing two ornate figures on either side of a double column of hieroglyphs|thumb|[[Stele|Stela 5 from Takal'ik Ab'aj. The latest of the two Long Count dates is equivalent to a date in AD 126. The dates are flanked by rulers, probably symbolising the passing of power from one king to the next. Click here for a photo of this stela.]]
During the Late Preclassic (300 BC – AD 200) various sites in the Pacific coastal region developed into true cities; Takalik Abaj was one of these, with an area greater than . The cessation of Olmec influence upon the Pacific coastal zone occurred at the beginning of the Late Preclassic. the inhabitants began to make boulder sculptures and to erect stelae and associated altars. At this time, between 200 BC and 150 AD, Structure 7 reached its maximum dimensions. These early Maya monuments are carved with what may be among the earliest Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions and use of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar. The early dates on Stelae 2 and 5 allow this style of sculpture to be more securely fixed in time within the late 1st century to the early 2nd century AD.
There is evidence of increasing contact with Kaminaljuyu, which emerged as a principal centre at this time, linking the Pacific coastal trade routes with the Motagua River route, as well as increased contact with other sites along the Pacific coast. Within this extended trade route, Takalik Abaj and Kaminaljuyu appear to have been the two principal foci.
During the Late Preclassic structures were built using volcanic stone held together with clay, as in the Middle Preclassic.
Early Classic
thumb|right|150px|Early Classic cylindrical polychrome vessel from Takalik Abaj|alt=A tall cylindrical ceramic vessel with three stubby legs. The base colour is orange with a darker pattern consisting of a square spiral.
In the Early Classic, from around the 2nd century AD, the stela style that developed at Takalik Abaj and was associated with the portrayal of historic figures was adopted across the Maya lowlands, particularly in the Petén Basin. During this period some of the pre-existing monuments were deliberately destroyed.
In this period, the ceramics showed a change with the entry of the highland Solano style, This ceramic tradition is most associated with the Solano site in the southeastern Valley of Guatemala and the most characteristic type is a brick-red ware covered with a bright orange micaceous slip, sometimes painted with pink or purple decoration. This style of ceramics has been associated with the highland Kʼicheʼ Maya. At the same time, the use of local Ocosito ceramics waned. This Teotihuacan influence places the destruction of monuments in the second half of the Early Classic.