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Where in the world
Belize
Xunantunich
Maya · Belize
Field notes
- civilizations
- Maya
- types
- City
- built
- 200 BCE — 900 CE
- occupied
- 200 BCE — 1,000 CE
- country
- Belize
The site
A Maya city set on a ridge above the Mopan River, occupied above all in the Late Classic between AD 600 and 900. It is dominated by El Castillo, a pyramid rising some 40 m whose upper temple keeps a modelled stucco frieze of gods, kings and celestial signs. Its name, Yucatec Maya for 'stone woman', comes from a local legend of a ghostly figure seen on its steps. It was among the first Maya sites opened to visitors, reached today by a hand-cranked ferry.
