Maya center in the Guatemalan Petén with most surviving structures of the Classic period (100-900 AD). Occupation of the Uaxactún site began in the Middle Formative period of Mayan culture (900-300 BC), and before the close of the Late Formative period (300 BC-100 AD) a number of ceremonial buildings had been erected, including a temple with giant stucco masks reminiscent of the more ancient Olmec civilization. The site has many usual Lowland Maya architectural features, but was a small center in contrast to Tikal, to whom it owed politico-religious allegiance. The central complex consists of a small plaza flanked by long, low palace- or apartment-style buildings and two temple-pyramids. The site is best known for its Late Chicanel stucco decoration in the Izapan style. Stele 9 has one of the earliest Long Count dates of the Classic Period (328 AD). The terminal Long Count date for the site is 889 AD. In the 9th century, Uaxactún declined like other southern lowland Mayan centers and was abandoned in the 10th century. For many years, the pottery sequence (Formative to Classic) at Uaxactún formed the basis for the whole of Lowland Maya chronology.