Calakmul was discovered in the early 30s of the last century, but it is until the 1980s that systematic research allows us to discover the essence of this city as one of the most important of the Mayan Classic. The most recent research has concluded that Calakmul is the most important city of the Mayan Classic and together with Tikal and Palenque headed the political organisation of the highlands. Hieroglyphic studies have noticed a history of wars between Calakmul and Tikal for nearly a century of history, which speaks of the political rivalry of these cities. There is a unique urban planning, with large ceremonial squares and residential complexes. It is also the site where the largest number of stees have been found in the Mayan area, many of them from the Late Preclassic period (400 a.C.). These are the main subject of epigraphic and iconographic study.