Editing Quiriguá (section)

===Hiatus and recovery===
[[File:MUNAE Stela depicting a maya queen trampling a captive.jpg|thumb|upright|Stela from Quiriguá depicting a queen trampling a captive, ca 653, [[Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología|MUNAE]], Guatemala City]]
Quiriguá suffered a hiatus from the turn of the 6th century that lasted through to the middle of the 7th century. This may be linked to the [[Tikal#Tikal hiatus|Tikal hiatus]] of the Middle Classic caused by Tikal's defeat by [[Calakmul]]. There is evidence that Quiriguá suffered an attack by unknown enemies in this period, as demonstrated by the apparently deliberate defacement of Stela U and Monument&nbsp;26, characteristic of damage inflicted by invading warriors. No monuments were erected during this hiatus, which lasted from 495 to 653.<ref name="Loop50"/>

In the 6th or early 7th century a natural disaster caused a devastating flood of the Motagua Valley and buried the surface of the site under a deep layer of [[silt]], completely changing the landscape. Only those buildings that stood above the mud continued in use, including group A, saved by its hilltop location. The earthen platform on the valley floor also continued in use, at least those parts of it that stood above the silt, and it was one of the site's smaller complexes that grew to become the new centre of Quiriguá, as represented by the monuments visible to this day.<ref name="MG217"/>

A revival can be identified by the dedication of the first new monument in a century and a half, raised by the otherwise unknown king, K'awiil Yopaat, in 653. Continued contact with Copán is evident, as well as longer distance contacts, possibly with [[Caracol]] in [[Belize]]. At about the same time major construction work was undertaken in the [[acropolis]], including the building of the site's first [[Mesoamerican ballcourt|ballcourt]].<ref>Looper 2003, pp.50–53.</ref>