Today Is:
12.19.19.2.17 Long Count
13 Kaban 5 Kayab Calendar Round
302 days to Baktun 13
Xunatunich, which translates into English as "Stone Woman" is located in the Cayo district of the country of Belize. The name is a modern Mayan one of both Yucatec and Mopan origins, the site is named for the ghost of a woman that has been repeatedly seen roaming the site (this has to be one of the only Mesoamerican ruins to be consistently reported to actually be haunted by a specific spirit...one wonders why there aren't more!). It is listed in some databases as being one of the "lesser" Mayan ruined cities, along with places like Mexico's Tulum or Becan or Naachtun in the highlands of Guatemala, as opposed to say, Tikal or Palenque (personally, I don't see anything "lesser" about it). The ruined city occupies about 1 square mile and consists of about 26 structures. It dates from the Classic Maya period. Unlike the vast majority of ruined Maya cities, there is a reasonable explanation as to why it was abandoned--due to a massive and very destructive earthquake. The site today is accessed by a ferry, and modern Maya operate market stands at the gate where visitors board the ferry.
Xunatunich Links
Belize Report
Wikipedia
DuPlooy Travel
Virtual Tourist
Mayan Ruins
Xunantunich Mayan Ruins Belize in Belize
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| I find this structure facinating; outside of much later Aztec temples, I've never seen a twin staired sacred building in MesoAmerica before. It is certainly not a "normal" Maya thing. |
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