南美漫遊: Xunantunich 2.6.2017

It is one of the most impressive Maya sites, especially for its remarkable hieroglyphics. After taking a hand-cranked ferry across the Mopan River, there was a walk through bird- and butterfly-filled jungle. The complex of temples and plazas date back to the early Classic Maya Period.

Set on a leveled hilltop, Xunantunich is one of Belize's most easily accessible and impressive Maya archaeological sites. Getting here is half the fun with a free hand-cranked cable-ferry taking you (and vehicles) across the Mopan River. Xunantunich may have been occupied as early as 1000 BC but it was little more than a village. The large architecture that we see today began to be built in the 7th century AD.

To reach the ruins, take the ferry in San Jose Succotz village, then it's about 1 mile uphill to the parking lot and ticket office.

Mopan River

hand-cranked ferry

From AD 700 to 850, Xunantunich was possibly politically aligned with Naranjo, 9 miles west in Guatemala. Together, they controlled the western part of the Belize River valley, although the population probably never exceeded 10,000. Xunantunich partially survived the initial Classic Maya collapse of about AD 850 (when nearly Cahal Pech was abandoned), but was deserted by about AD 1000.

The dominant El Castillo (Structure A-6) rises 130 ft high at the south end of Plaza A-1. El Castillo may have been the ruling family's ancestral shrine where they were buried and/or represented in sculpted friezes. We climbed to the top of El Castillo to enjoy a spectacular 360-degree view. Its upper levels were constructed in two distinct phases. The first, built around AD 800, included an elaborate plaster frieze encircling the building; the second, built around AD 900, covered over most of the first and its frieze.

The frieze on the east end of the building and part of the western one have been uncovered by archaeologists; these depict a series of Maya deities, with Chaac, the rain god, probably the central figure at the east end.