Xunantunich

The Mayan ruins of Xunantunich are located approximately 13 kilometers west of San Ignacio in Belize ( Central America ) on a ground level above the Mopan River. The name is modern.

At six plazas are grouped more than 25 temples and palaces. The most striking building with around 40 m height above the terrain can be found on the southern edge of the excavation: the pyramid El Castillo. Noteworthy are the El Castillo, the reconstructed stucco frieze on the east side and the new replica frieze on the west side.

On the northern edge of the central area of Xunantunich was a palatial building (Building A11 ), which was deliberately destroyed before the abandonment of the settlement and filled with rubble, apparently a sign of an abrupt change in socio- political situation.

The plant was abandoned around the year 900 and rediscovered in modern times by Thomas Gann at the end of the 19th century (the first known photograph dates from the year 1904). Archaeological research has been held since 1930.