Cahal Pech

Cahal Pech
Cahal Pech is located in Mesoamerica
Cahal Pech
Location within Mesoamerica
Cahal Pech is located in Belize
Cahal Pech
Location within Belize
LocationSan IgnacioCayo DistrictBelize
RegionCayo District
History
Founded1200 BCE
Abandoned900 CE
PeriodsClassic
CulturesMaya
Site notes
Excavation dates1988 - 2000
ArchaeologistsJaime Awe National Institute of Archaeology (NICH)
Architecture
Architectural stylesClassic
Responsible body: Belize Department of Archaeology

Cahal Pech is a Maya site located near the town of San Ignacio in the Cayo District of Belize. The site was a palatial, hilltop home for an elite Maya family, and though the most major construction dates to the Classic period, evidence of continuous habitation has been dated to as far back as 1200 BCE during the Early Middle Formative period (Early Middle Preclassic), making Cahal Pech one of the oldest recognizably Maya sites in Western Belize.[1][2]

  1. ^ Awe et al. (1990)
  2. ^ Awe (2000)