increase in the use of locally produced ceramics and a movement away from region-wide exchange to focus more on the Maya Mountains to the south. By 820 the cities of the Dolores region one by one fell into silence as they were engulfed by the Classic Maya collapse. The last stela erected in Sacul bears a date corresponding to AD 800. Many cities were abandoned at this time but, although it ceased to erect new monuments, Sacul outlived its regional rivals and allies and survived into the Postclassic Period, when it once again participated in the regional exchange network. Site description Sacul is grouped into 5 sites, all belonging to the same polity, and numbered from Sacul 1 through to Sacul 5 with Sacul 1 (or more commonly, simply Sacul) representing the Late Classic site core. The presence of a triadic complex in Plaza C demonstrates the city's participation in the wider sociopolitical arena of the Petén Basin, with that particular architectural form having its origin in the central Maya lowlands of the Preclassic Period. The site core is located upon a high natural hill, which was artificially levelled to form two terraces. Group A Group A (also known as the West Group) occupies the lower terrace and comprises three architectural complexes. It is notable for a concentration of sculpted monuments dating to the Late Classic, and contains most of the monuments found at the site. A Terminal Classic burial was interred in an opening carved out of the bedrock beneath the plaza and was covered with limestone slabs. The burial was accompanied by a funerary offering consisting of ten ceramic vessels, among which were an incense burner, plates and bowls. The Ballcourt is located in Plaza B. The ballcourt is aligned north-south with a playing area measuring . It had sloped sides and open end zones as is typical of the southeastern Petén. The side structures measure high. Plaza C is located to the north of Group A. It was built upon a high basal platform overlooking Group A and measuring . The group was accessed via a stairway on the southwest side. It was first built during the Late Classic Period and underwent continuous modifications through to the Terminal Classoc. Twelve structures were built upon the basal platform, including pyramids and platform structures. The plaza has 3 structures that are laid out in a clear example of a