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Xunantunich
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The
Xunantunich Maya site is about 80 miles (130 km) west of Belize
City,
in the Cayo District. Xunantunich
is located atop a ridge above the Mopan River, within sight of the
Guatemala border. In the early morning from the 28. May 2009, we
got a 7.1 Earthquake near Roatan Honduras, and the A-6 El Castillo
structure got some cracks.
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Click any Pictures to enlarge
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Xunantunich
means
"Stone Woman" in the Maya language (Mopan and Yucatec
combination name), and, like many names given to Maya archaeological
sites, is a modern name; the ancient name is currently unknown. The
"Stone Woman" refers to the ghost of a woman claimed by several people
to inhabit the site, beginning in 1892. The Stone Woman is dressed
completely in
white, and has fire-red glowing eyes. She generally appears in front of
El Castillo, ascends the stone stairs and disappears into a stone
wall.
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core of Xunantunich occupies about one square mile (2.6 km²),
consisting of a series of six plazas surrounded by more than 26 temples
and palaces. One of its structures, the pyramid known as "El Castillo,"
the second tallest structure in Belize (after the temple at Caracol),
at some 130 feet (40 m) tall. |
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Archeological excavations have revealed a
number of fine stucco facades
on some of the ancient temples of this site. Evidence of construction
suggests the temple was built in three stages in the 600s AD, 700s AD,
and 800s AD. The fine stucco or "frieze" are located on the final stage.
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El Castillo, stucco Frieze
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The upper part of
El Castillo has friezes on the east side
and the west side. This Maya frieze where excavated in 1993. A
fiberglass
replica are made and placed over the original frieze to protect them.
The
carved elements are signs. The mask with the "big ears" and skillful
ear
ornaments represent the eternity of the sun god Kinich Ahau.
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Next to Kinich Ahau,
is
the sign for the moon represented trough Xbalanque, and then a border
of signs which represent the Venus with Hun Ahaw and the
different Mayan days. There is also an unidentified headless man, who
was
deliberately beheaded by the Maya for unknown reason.
The Maya kept time
with a combination of several cycles that meshed together to mark the
movement
of the sun, moon and Venus. Their ritual calendar, known as the
Tzolkin, was
composed of 260 days. By tracking the
movements of the Moon, Venus, and other heavenly bodies, the Mayans
realized
that there were cycles in the Cosmos. From this came their reckoning of
time,
and a calendar that accurately measures the solar year to within
minutes.
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Structure A-1
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to of the Castillo, you have a excellent view of the structure A-1 with
there 4 levels. In the Year 1995, the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology
at UCLA endet a conservation project and transformed unexcavated mounds
back into the structur A-1. |
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The collaborative
project focused on several areas as scientific research
and testing to understand the processes of deterioration of limestone
and stucco in humid, tropical environments; conservation of excavated
Maya structures.
The structural damage to Maya monuments in Belize, is caused by the
intrusion of roots of shrubs and trees into the building fabric is a
consequence not only of the tropical environment, but also of the
building techniques employed by the Maya. The accient Maya built their
pyramids and temples in stages, each stage constituting a separate
structural unit. During their period of use, the structural equilibrium
of these Maya buildings was assured by the application and continuous
maintenance of an impermeable stucco facing on a structure's exterior.
Once a Maya building was abandoned, its stuccoed floors and walls
cracked, and vegetation and water invaded, causing weakness and the
potential for collapse. Ironically, although vegetation was the initial
source of damage, in time it became the agent of stability by literally
binding together, through root penetration, the collapsing structure.
Removal of the vegetation in order to excavate the structure disrupts
once again the equilibrium and exposes the structure to a fresh cycle
of deterioration.
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Structure A11
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structure A-11 was ongoing many redesigning and stucco frieze fragments
reference the powerful concept like the genius scared mountain of this
structure.. The Maya blocked and filled the interior stairway to the
upper building, the ruler’s private residence, shifting access to the
rear of the structure. |
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Subsequently, they
blocked the doorways of the flanking rooms and
filled them, sealing these spaces for private interactions with the
ruler. The Maya later removed the stair block in front, a feature that
had permitted the extension of activities on the frontal terrace into
closer proximity to the people in the plaza. Use of the central room
continued, but it was also later dismantled stone-by-stone and then
filled, marking the end of the use from Structure A-11.
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Ballcourt
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The
group A contains one of the two ball courts discovered at the
site. One ballcourt is between the structures A-18 and A-19 and
the other ball court is between Plaza A-1 and Plaza A-2. The
Xuanantunich ball court’s are all average in size and where used for
the Mayan Ball Games.
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The ball game,
which
was a common activity of all Mesoamerican peoples
and originated about 3,000 B.C., had a ritualistic function for the
ancient Maya. Two teams (the number of players depended on the region
where the game
was played) faced off on courts whose measurements could vary. Most
ball courts had two sloping parallel walls inset with three round disks
called markers or a single stone ring, at right angles to the ground.
Ballplayers wore protective equipment during the game to prevent bodily
damage by the hard rubber ball. The balls are made of solid rubber and
weighed up to 4 kg (9 lbs) or more, and sizes differed greatly over
time or according to the version played. Players would attempt to
bounce the ball without using their hands and
only touch the ball with their elbows, knees or hips through stone
hoops attached to the sides of the ball court.
As far a we know, the winners of the game were treated as heroes and
given a great feast. The penalty for losing a game was unusually harsh:
death. The leader of the team who lost the game was killed. This fit in
with the Mayan belief that human sacrifice was necessary for the
continued success of the peoples' agriculture, trade, and overall
health.
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Xunantunich Tour
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Xunantunich it close
to San
Ignacio and Benque
Viejo del Carmen. In these two Towns many
tour Licensed Tour Operator offer there Tours. Compare the price and
service before you book. Because the tensed security situation
with Guatemala criminals, you will always find police and military
presence in Caracol, Nim Li Punit and Xunantunich.
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If you stay in on
the Cayes, in the South or in Belize
City, its much
easier to Travel in 2 hours by Bus
or rental Car to San Ignacio make a
afternoon tour and the next day a morning tour. In San Ignacio and
Benque Viejo del Carmen you will find affordable Hotel and the
following Attractions are near by: Cahal Pech, Caracol, Nim Li Punit, 5
Sister Fall, ATM Caves and much more.
Catch a bus toward from San Ignacio to Benque Viejo Del Carmen or vice
versa. 5 Minutes from Benque or 15 Minutes from San Ignacio to your
reach the village of San Jose Succotz. Leaf the Bus there and cross the
Mopan River river via free hand cranked ferry, and then walk about 1
mile
on a winding mountain road to the site. The ferry cam only take
one car at
a time and sometimes there is a line up
to leave. The Ferry is the only way across the river. The ferry hours
should be from 7:00am to 5:00pm please verifying them before you cross.
If you need a map
of the Xunantunich Site, at our Maya
Site Maps page, there is a printable version available for download.
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Weather
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Event Agenda
4th - 8th March
La Ruta Maya
River Challange
8th March
Baron Bliss Day
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