Sac Balam

Sac Balam (also spelled Sak-Bahlán) is a Maya city in the Lacandon Jungle of Chiapas in Mexico that was the capital of the Lakandon Ch'ol where they resisted Spanish rule for more than a century, after being conquered in 1695, it was renamed as Nuestra Señora de los Dolores del Lacandón (or simply Dolores) and became a colonial settlement until its abandonment and disappearance in the early 18th century. Its location was long considered lost until 2025, when an international team of archaeologists announced they had likely identified the site in the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve.

It was founded around 1586 by the Lakandon Ch'ol after the destruction of their capital Lakam-Tún by the conquistadors and remained isolated and free from colonial rule for over 100 years until 1695 when the city was conquered and was renamed as Nuestra Señora de los Dolores del Lacandón, being the only colonial settlement inside the Lacandon Jungle until 1712 when all its inhabitants were displaced and the city was abandoned. Since then Sac Balam disappeared from all colonial sources or chronicles and its exact location was long considered lost inside a dense jungle area of difficult access for archaeological exploration, until a 2025 archaeological expedition identified what is believed to be the site.

Archaeological site data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).