The Mayan Highlands They are located mostly in the territory of Guatemala and Chiapas, as part of the mountain systems of the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes and the Sierra Madre, which rise up to 3,800 m above sea level.
The broken landscape of the area contains fertile valleys that have been used continuously for agriculture, and the hills were used for settlements for defensive purposes.
The presence of many springs, streams, rivers and lakes provided good access to water. As for the vegetation, coniferous forests predominate, where different species of pines and cypresses predominate.
In Verapaces and Chiapas there are wetter portions where there are large expanses of cloud forest, and in the highest areas of Huehuetenango there are tundra plants.
In the driest areas there are low forests with species of thorny scrub and cacti. Within the landscape context, the presence of countless hills in the Highlands is important to interpret the architectural development of the ancient cities of this area, since these geographical features were the central focus of religious ceremonies and therefore the need was not prevailing. to build large temples, as happened in the Lowlands, where the landscape lacks mountains.
In terms of resources, the Highlands were the richest in mineral deposits, so deposits located in river basins, ravines, volcanic outcrops and other types of geological formations were exploited.
Among these areas, the Motagua River Valley stands out, where the only jade deposits in the entire American continent are found. This is why many sites competed for control of this important trade route.
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