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On
the Western Highway, around 12km west of San Ignacio on the bank
Mopan River, the quiet village of San José Succotz is home to
the ruins of Xunantunich (pronounced Shun-an-tun-ich), "the
Stone Maiden", a Classic-period centre. An old chain ferry crosses
the river to the site on demand (daily 8am-5pm; free). If you're
carrying luggage, you can safely leave it at the Plaza Restaurant
(also a good source of information), opposite the ferry.
From the riverbank a steep track leads through the forest for a
couple of kilometers to the ruins (US$5). Your first stop
should be the marvelous visitor centre, one of the best in
Belize, which includes a superb scale model of the city. The site,
located on top of an artificially flattened hill, includes five
plazas, although the surviving structures are grouped around just
three of them. Recent investigations have found evidence of
Xunantunich's role in the power politics of the Classic period,
during which it probably joined Caracol and the regional superpower
Calakmul in an alliance against Tikal. By the Terminal Classic
period, Xunantunich was already in decline, though still apparently
inhabited until around 1000 AD, after the Classic Maya "collapse" in
most other areas.
The track from the entrance brings you out into plaza A-2, with
large structures on three sides. Plaza A-1, to the left is dominated
by El Castillo, at over 40m the city's tallest structure.
This is ringed by a decorative stucco frieze, now extensively
restored, showing abstract designs, human faces and jaguar heads.
The climb up El Castillo can be daunting, but the views from the top
are superb, with the forest stretching out all around and the rest
of the ancient city mapped out beneath you.
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 Belize
travel guide
Caribbean
guide
Practicalities
Just before San José Succotz (signed on the left) there's a
wonderful budget place to stay, Trek Stop (phone
823-2265, US$15-25), with eight simple,
clean, non-smoking cabins with comfortable beds (US$10 per person)
and a campsite (US$3.50 per person). The restaurant serves
some of the best-value food and largest portions in Cayo, with good
vegetarian choices, and there's a self-catering kitchen, while bikes,
kayaks and tubes are available for rent at reasonable rates.
Trek Stop also runs the well-designed Tropical Wings
Butterfly House (daily 8am-5pm; US$2.50, including guided tour),
an enchanting world full of tropical color.
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Explore Belize City
North side
South side
Cayo and the west
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Belize city
to San
Ignacio
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Belize zoo
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Belmopan
Practicalities
Monkey Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Guanacaste
Park
Benque Viejo del Carmen
Caracol Ruins
Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
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San Antonio
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San Ignacio
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Arrival
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Xunantunich, San Jose
Corozal, Orange Walk
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