This place is located in Usumacinta River region, which was the scenario of the Mayan classic numerous cities, several of them worthy of the distinction of its glyphs emblem, among those, Yaxchilán. Covered by a wide curve of the mighty and impressive Usumacinta River banks, this Archaeological Site preserves the vestiges of one of the most important cities in the Mayan area, famous for its beauty and harmonic architecture. The city lived times of splendour during the classic period, like other places in the Usumacinta Basin and regional villages with whom shared a magnificent idea registered on the stelaes, lintels, altars and steps. The coarse and combined complex of hieroglyphic series written in monuments of carved stone of Yaxchilán, among the best carried out by the Mayan writings, inform of the important events of that history and the dynastic activities of that city.

In 1847, John L. Stephens and Frederic Catherwood brought to light in their work of Trips in Chiapas and Guatemala. The existence of vestiges of big cities of the Mayan area, this got the attention of travellers and explorers, which gave themselves to the travelling task, to the most remote parts of southeast Mexico and Centro America.

The first reference of Yaxchilán belongs to Colonel Juan Galindo, governor of the department of Petén who saw it during a trip at the beginning of the XIX century. In 1895, 1897, 1900 the Peabody Museum sent Teobert Maler to visit the site, he visited the place and made one of the best descriptions of the place, its buildings, monuments, to which assigned the even effective nomenclature, and Teobert assigned the name of Yaxchilán to the site.

Among the years 1935 and 1973 an important number of investigations about Yaxchilan were carried out, focused on the interpretation of the geographical texts on their sculptural monuments. The most remarkable works in that period were those of Tatiana Prokaouriakoiff who for the historical interpretation of the inscriptions, elaborated informs of the first ruler's dynasty of Piedras Negras and Yaxchilán, another excellent work was that of Ian Graham who prepared a classification of the quality of the inscriptions and its relationship with contemporary places.

Finally, the works of the project ¨Yaxchilan were found¨, those that began in 1973, during which around 50 buildings have been explored and diverse recovered archaeological materials and epigraphic interpretations that allows us to have a better idea of the place.