To build the settlement, the Mayans took advantage of the terrain’s characteristics, in a peninsula surrounded by a bend of the Usumacinta River. The city’s surface is very wide, however only a few buildings are open to visitors.

The Great Plaza is accessed through the Labyrinth, named so due to the complex distribution of its rooms. In the plaza there is a ball court and small groups of buildings. Lintels that narrate the dynastic history of the city can still be found in several constructions.

There is a staircase that links the plaza to the Great Acropolis, dominated by the Building 33. On the staircase, there are hieroglyphics of Bird Jaguar IV playing ball. On the lintels there is the decapitated sculpture of Bird Jaguar IV. A Lacandon legend says that when the head of Bird Jaguar goes back to its place, the world will be devastated by celestial jaguars.