Xunantunich - Mayan Ruin

With a tour guide on hand for the entire day (Vitalino) we visited this amazing Mayan Ruin.

Overlooking the Mopan River, the Maya Site of Xunantunich is located approximately eight miles west of San Ignacio Town at San Jose Succotz Village in the Cayo District. Xunantunich is accessible by public transportation, but after crossing the Mopan River by way of a hand-cranked ferry, you must walk about one mile to the entrance of the site. By using a travel or tour operator, you will be ferried across with their vehicle, thus eliminating the walk.

Xunantunich was a major ceremonial center during the Classic Period. The site is composed of six major plazas and surrounded by more than twenty-five temples and palaces. The most prominent structure located at the south end of the site is the pyramid "El Castillo" (The Castle) which rises 130 feet high above the plaza. "El Castillo" was the tallest man-made structure in all of Belize until the discovery of "Canaa" at Caracol. The most notable feature on "El Castillo" is the reconstructed frieze on the east side of the lower temple.

Currently, additional explorations and excavations are being performed by Dr. Richard Leventhal and the Institute of Archaeology in an effort to better understand the history of Xunantunich.