The jewel in the crown is El Castillo (‘The Castle’) which, at 130 feet tall, was the tallest man-made structure in Belize before the discovery of Canaa at Caracol. ![]() The core area measures little more than 300 square metres and consists of three ceremonial plazas surrounded by palaces, pyramids and residential mounds and the largest are decorated in beautiful friezes and Classic period masks. The city was deserted by about 1000AD, slightly later than many of its Maya contemporaries.Įuropeans first ‘rediscovered’ Xunantunich in the late 19th century, and major excavations took place in 1959-60. It’s thought that Xunantunich was possibly in alliance with the city of Naranjo, and between them controlled much of this stretch of the river. It’s believed that the first settlers in the area arrived between 600BC and 300BC but the ruined city you see today was constructed from around 650-700AD. It is said that she appeared to local hunters, beckoning them to follow her into a cavern but who disappeared before they could do so. Xunantunich translates in the Yucatec Maya language as ‘Stone Woman’ or ‘Maiden of the Rock’ after a 200-year old local legend of the ghost of a beautiful Mayan maiden with fire-red eyes. It is said to be the longest established in Belize. Pronounced ‘shoo-nan-too-neech’, Xunantunich, one kilometre from the town of Benque Viejo on the Guatemalan border in western Belize is an incredible Mayan archaeological site that dates from around 600AD.
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