Dos Pilas is a Late Classic Maya city in the Petexbatún area of Sayaxché, Petén, whose Hieroglyphic Stairway 2 may carry one of the longest texts in the Maya area after Copán’s. It is protected as the 3,120-hectare Monumento Cultural Dos Pilas under Decreto 64-95, with CONAP responsible for the complexes it creates. There is no official visitor page: CONAP and the Ministry of Culture publish no hours or entry fee for Dos Pilas.
Unlike its neighbours Aguateca and Ceibal, Dos Pilas has no page on CONAP’s tourism portal and no listing of its own in the Ministerio de Cultura’s cultural information system (SIC), whose Petexbatún refuge listing calls it Parque Arqueológico Dos Pilas. Getting there is by tour from Sayaxché. Lonely Planet, in an undated listing, calls the trip a serious undertaking.
Quick summary
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Where | Municipio de Sayaxché, Petén, northwest of the Monumento Cultural Aguateca (Decreto 64-95) |
| Legal name and area | Monumento Cultural Dos Pilas, 3,120 hectares, Complejo II (Decreto 64-95) |
| Name on the SIC | Parque Arqueológico Dos Pilas (Ministerio de Cultura, Petexbatún listing) |
| Responsible body | CONAP, for administration, control and vigilance of the complexes (Decreto 64-95, Article 5) |
| Earlier declaration | National Monument, Acuerdo 1210 of the Ministerio de Educación, 12 June 1970 (per Fahsen et al. 2003) |
| Hours and entry fee | Not published by CONAP or the Ministry of Culture (as of 8 November 2026) |
| Access | Tour from Sayaxché by boat or 4x4; by road to Aldea El Nacimiento, then about a 30-minute hike (Lonely Planet, undated) |
| Tour ballpark | Boat Q500, 4x4 Q800, basis not stated (Lonely Planet, undated) |
| Period | Late Classic; abandoned by about 800 AD (Fahsen et al. 2003) |
| Highlight | Hieroglyphic Stairway 2, 18 inscribed steps, on Structure L5-49 |
Getting there
Neither CONAP nor the Ministry of Culture publishes an access description for Dos Pilas: CONAP’s Mundo Maya route covers Aguateca and Ceibal but not Dos Pilas. What follows is from Lonely Planet’s undated listing.
- Start in Sayaxché. Lonely Planet lists the best way to reach Dos Pilas as a tour from Sayaxché, either by boat (Q500) or by 4x4 (Q800). It does not say whether that is per group or per person, and the page carries no date.
- Or go through Posada Caribe. The same listing suggests staying at Posada Caribe and organising the tour there, possibly on horseback.
- By road. If you do not go on horseback, you are driven over a rough road to Aldea El Nacimiento, which Lonely Planet says takes one hour or more depending on the mud.
- On foot. From there it is about a half-hour hike to the site.
- Overnight. Lonely Planet says camping is an option.
Agree the price, the route (boat or road) and what is included before you leave Sayaxché; neither CONAP nor the Ministry of Culture publishes a fare to check it against.
Legal status and who is responsible
Decreto 64-95 of the Congress declared four complexes of protected areas in southern Petén. It was given on 21 September 1995 and published in the Diario de Centro América on 8 November 1995. Dos Pilas is in Complejo II, with its Petexbatún neighbours:
| Complejo II area (Decreto 64-95) | Category | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Petexbatún | Refugio de Vida Silvestre | 4,044 ha |
| Aguateca | Monumento Cultural | See Aguateca |
| Dos Pilas | Monumento Cultural | 3,120 ha |
| Ceibal | Monumento Cultural | 1,512 ha |
- Location in the law. The decree places the monument in the municipality of Sayaxché and describes it as lying northwest of the Monumento Cultural Aguateca.
- Responsibility. Article 5 puts the administration, control, vigilance, coordination and prevention of the complexes under the Consejo Nacional de Áreas Protegidas (CONAP).
- The 1970 declaration. According to the 2003 paper by archaeologists Fahsen, Ortiz, Castellanos and Luin, Dos Pilas had already been declared a National Monument by Acuerdo 1210 of the Ministerio de Educación, dated 12 June 1970 and published in the Diario Oficial on 18 June 1970.
- The forest corridors. The Ministerio de Cultura’s Petexbatún listing says Aguateca, Dos Pilas and Petexbatún form a group of protected areas that, until 1994, were connected by corridors of broadleaf forest in a good state of conservation.
Pressure on the site. Prensa Libre reported on 29 November 2016 that only about 30 percent of the dense vegetation that surrounded Dos Pilas when it was discovered remains, according to the authorities. The paper said the Brigada Especial de Operaciones de Selva, the National Civil Police’s nature protection division (Diprona) and IDAEH were running constant operations at Dos Pilas, Arroyo de Piedra and Tamarindito, sites at risk of illegal occupation.
What is there
The site description below comes from Fahsen et al. (2003), an academic paper presented at the XVI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala.
- Three monumental groups. The Grupo Principal, El Duende and a third group known as Murciélagos.
- Monuments. The paper counts the following:
| Monument type | Sculpted | Plain |
|---|---|---|
| Stelae | 20 | 2 |
| Altars | 3 | 9 |
| Hieroglyphic stairways | 4 |
- Structure L5-49. Fahsen and colleagues (2003) describe it as the largest building in the Gran Plaza area, forming its south side, about 25 m high and 30 m long. Its broad stairway contains Hieroglyphic Stairway 2.
- Hieroglyphic Stairway 2. A looting attempt at Structure L5-49 made rescue excavations necessary in 2001 and early 2002. They located ten steps which, with eight reported before, make 18 steps, six in each section (Central, East and West). The paper says the text is perhaps one of the longest in the Maya area, after the famous stairway of Structure 26 at Copán.
- What Lonely Planet describes. Its undated listing singles out a hieroglyphic staircase of five 6 m-wide steps, each with two rows of glyphs, climbing to the base of the royal palace near the main plaza, plus several stelae with clear inscriptions. It warns that archaeologists may cover the staircase, so ask whether it is visible before you go.
The name. Two explanations are on record. Citing Francis Gall (1961), Fahsen et al. say the name comes from two pools shaped like pilas (basins) very close together. Byron Hernández of IDAEH, quoted by Prensa Libre in 2016, said it derives from two springs that surround the site.
A short history
The dates here come from Fahsen et al. (2003). The ten new steps of Stairway 2, the paper says, add about fifty years to what is known of the region’s history, including the founding of Dos Pilas and its militaristic dynasty, its first wars, and its direct involvement in the Great War between Calakmul and its allies and Tikal and central Petén in the 6th and 7th centuries.
| When (per Fahsen et al. 2003) | What happened |
|---|---|
| Shortly before 647 AD | Ruler 1, Balaj Chan K’awiil, comes to power, as Dos Pilas becomes the region’s ruling centre |
| 7th century | Balaj Chan K’awiil receives his insignia of power at Tikal, his family’s city of origin, then, perhaps under pressure, allies for life with Calakmul, Tikal’s traditional enemy, and causes the death of his elder brother and rival from Tikal on the battlefield |
| About 741 AD | Ruler 4, K’awiil Chan K’inich, comes to power; Dos Pilas’ sphere of influence reaches its largest, about 4,000 km² |
| About 761 AD | Ruler 4 is captured and sacrificed by forces from Tamarindito, and Dos Pilas is besieged |
| About 800 AD | Dos Pilas is already abandoned |
Trade and Cancuén. The same paper says Dos Pilas’ control of trade with the highlands was consolidated through a marriage to a woman of the ruling family of Cancuén, the Maya palace city. Hernández of IDAEH told Prensa Libre that Dos Pilas, though not as monumental as Yaxhá or Tikal, mattered for its political ties and its control of river trade on the Río La Pasión.
Tikal and the Petexbatún. CONAP’s Tikal page lists Dos Pilas among the cities whose elites had significant connections with Tikal, recorded in the hieroglyphic texts of its 33 rulers. Xplorando Guatemala, a travel site, describes Dos Pilas as a city founded by Tikal royalty and says that after the defeat of 761 AD the royalty fled to Aguateca.
Research. From 1989 to 1996, Vanderbilt University projects investigated cities, minor centres and the countryside of the Petexbatún region, including the major centres of Dos Pilas, Aguateca, Tamarindito, Arroyo de Piedra and Punta de Chimino (Fahsen et al. 2003).
Dos Pilas and its neighbours
Dos Pilas, Aguateca, Ceibal, Tamarindito, Arroyo de Piedra and Punta de Chimino are among the archaeological sites the Ministerio de Cultura’s Petexbatún listing names in the area. Of the Petexbatún monuments, CONAP’s Mundo Maya tourism route has visitor pages for Aguateca and Ceibal, which makes them the easier visits; Dos Pilas needs a tour arranged in Sayaxché.
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Sources
- Decreto 64-95 of the Congress, full text compiled by CALAS, on FAO FAOLEX: gua134003.pdf, read 8 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, SIC listing Petexbatún, undated, read 8 November 2026.
- Fahsen, Ortiz, Castellanos and Luin (2003), La Escalinata 2 de Dos Pilas, Petén: Los nuevos escalones, XVI Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, on Mesoweb. Academic, secondary.
- Prensa Libre, 29 November 2016, on the loss of vegetation at Dos Pilas. Press, secondary.
- Lonely Planet, Dos Pilas, undated, read 8 November 2026. Guidebook, secondary.
- CONAP tourism portal, Parque Nacional Tikal and Parque Arqueológico Uaxactún, read 30 September 2026.
- Xplorando Guatemala, Aguateca en el Petexbatún, undated, read 3 October 2026. Travel site, secondary.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Dos Pilas?
In the municipality of Sayaxché, Petén, in the Petexbatún area. Decreto 64-95 of the Congress places the Monumento Cultural Dos Pilas northwest of the Monumento Cultural Aguateca, and the Ministerio de Cultura’s listing for the Petexbatún wildlife refuge says the refuge lies close to Dos Pilas to its west.
How do you get to Dos Pilas?
Neither CONAP nor the Ministry of Culture publishes a route. Lonely Planet’s undated listing says the best way is a tour from Sayaxché, by boat or by 4x4, or a tour organised through Posada Caribe, possibly on horseback. By road you are driven over a rough road to Aldea El Nacimiento, one hour or more depending on the mud, then hike about half an hour to the site. It calls the trip a serious undertaking.
How much does it cost to visit Dos Pilas?
CONAP and the Ministry of Culture publish no hours or entry fee for Dos Pilas (as of 8 November 2026). Lonely Planet’s undated listing gives Q500 by boat or Q800 by 4x4 from Sayaxché, with no basis stated (per tour or per person). Treat them as a guidebook ballpark, not a current fare.
What is the Hieroglyphic Stairway at Dos Pilas?
Hieroglyphic Stairway 2 sits in the broad stairway of Structure L5-49, which Fahsen and colleagues (2003) describe as the largest building on the Gran Plaza. After a looting attempt, rescue work in 2001 and early 2002 found ten new steps; with eight reported earlier there are 18, six in each of the Central, East and West sections. Archaeologists Fahsen, Ortiz, Castellanos and Luin (2003) say its text is perhaps one of the longest in the Maya area after the stairway of Structure 26 at Copán.
What happened at Dos Pilas?
Per Fahsen et al. (2003), Ruler 1, Balaj Chan K’awiil, took power shortly before 647 AD, received his insignia at Tikal, then allied with Calakmul against his elder brother at Tikal. Under Ruler 4, from about 741 AD, Dos Pilas’ sphere reached about 4,000 km²; around 761 AD that ruler was captured and sacrificed by Tamarindito forces and the city besieged. It was already abandoned by about 800 AD.
Is Dos Pilas a protected area?
Yes. Decreto 64-95 of the Congress, dated 21 September 1995, lists the Monumento Cultural Dos Pilas, 3,120 hectares, in Complejo II of southern Petén, and its Article 5 puts the complexes under CONAP’s responsibility. Fahsen et al. (2003) add that it was first declared a National Monument by Acuerdo 1210 of the Ministerio de Educación of 12 June 1970.
