![]() Next, since many archaeological attractions in Belize can be hard to reach, Xunantunich is the exception. From that vantage point, you’ll see an orderly layout surrounded by lush jungle and rainforest. Why should you visit Xunantunich Maya Ruins?įirst, the aerial view from the top of the 130-foot-high El Castillo is worth the climb. The compound is divided into plazas for easy identification, but if you need more guidance to interpret features, find detailed information about the ruin at the visitor’s center. It’s thought that this huge structure was the last ruling family’s ancestral shrine. What remains behind tells of a quintessential Classic Period ceremonial center, but what separates this from other ruins is the domination of El Castillo, the tallest structure (sometimes called a pyramid) in Belize. Though the excavated portion of Xunantunich occupies about 300 square meters of land, there is more to be unearthed. The mystery surrounding the collapse of this Mayan population around 850 AD hasn’t been solved, but not a soul was left here by 1000 AD. Though this site was settled–according to social scientists–around the 1st Century BC, builders didn’t develop the area until the 7th Century AD. ![]() The name of this ancient Mayan ruin is a tongue twister, but to indigenous peoples who made this sacred site their home for millennia, Xunantunich was a safe, secure hilltop area with plenty of vantage points, just in case a neighboring army of usurpers or explorers from abroad sought to claim this stronghold. ![]() Xunantunich Maya Ruins – “Maiden of the Rock”
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