Xunantunich Maya Site, San Ignacio

t is located in the village of San Jose Succotz, where a hand-cranked ferry is used to cross the Mopan River to get to the site. Xunantunich, “maiden of the rock,” was known to be a major ceremonial center during the Classic Period and is one of the most popular sites in Belize. The center is composed of six major plazas surrounded by more than 25 temples and palaces. The large pyramid, “El Castillo”, is well known for the frieze or band of stucco decoration which at one time extended around the entire temple. El Castillo rises 130 feet above the main plaza and offers an impressive panoramic view over the Mopan River valley. The site is a late classic period 600 AD to 900 AD which also was the border line influence of el Naranjo, a large ceremonial site over in Guatemala.