The Maya E-Group architectural complex is named for Group E at Uaxactun.
Uaxactun is an ancient Maya site in Guatemala’s Petén region, about 20 kilometers north of Tikal. Archaeologists recognized its distinctive Group E complex during early 20th-century investigations, and later complexes with similar layouts received the generic name “E-Groups.”
A typical E-Group places a large pyramid on the western side of a plaza opposite a long eastern platform, often carrying three smaller structures. At Uaxactun, the arrangement was interpreted as an astronomical marker because its buildings roughly correspond to sunrise positions at solstices and equinoxes. Modern research cautions that not every complex functioned as a precise observatory; ritual, calendrical, and political roles were also important.
The name is sometimes mistakenly associated with Tikal or other famous Maya centers that contain comparable complexes. They supplied examples of the architectural type, but Uaxactun provided the namesake Group E.