Xunantunich

Xunantunich
"El Castillo" at Xunantunich
Xunantunich is located in Mesoamerica
Xunantunich
Location within Mesoamerica
Xunantunich is located in Belize
Xunantunich
Location within Belize
LocationSan Jose SuccotzBelize
RegionCayo District
Coordinates17°05′21″N 89°08′29″W / 17.089059°N 89.141427°W / 17.089059; -89.141427
History
PeriodsPreclassic to Postclassic occupation
CulturesMaya
Site notes
ArchaeologistsThomas Gann, Sir J. Eric S. Thompson, A. H. Anderson, Linton Satterhwaite, Peter SchmidtA
ConditionOld
Restored by Xunantunich Archaeological Project (1991–1997)

Xunantunich (Mayan pronunciation: [ʃunanˈtunitʃ]) is an Ancient Maya archaeological site in western Belize, about 70 miles (110 km) west of Belize City, in the Cayo District. Xunantunich is located atop a ridge above the Mopan River, well within sight of the Guatemala border – which is 0.6 miles (1 km) to the west.[1] It served as a Maya civic ceremonial centre to the Belize Valley region in the Late and Terminal Classic periods.[2] At that time, when the region was at its peak, nearly 200,000 people lived in the Belize Valley.[3]

Xunantunich's name means "Maiden of the Rock" in the Maya languages Mopan and Yucatec, combining "Xunaan" (noble lady) and "Tuunich" (stone for sculpture). The "Stone Woman" refers to the ghost of a woman claimed by several people to inhabit the site, beginning in 1892. She is said to be dressed completely in white with fire-red glowing eyes. She generally appears in front of "El Castillo", ascends the stone stairs, and disappears into a stone wall.[citation needed]. Like many names given to Maya archaeological sites, "Xunantunich" is a modern name; the ancient name is unknown.

  1. ^ Yaeger, Jason. "Untangling the Ties That Bind: The City, the Countryside, and the Nature of Maya Urbanism at Xunantunich, Belize." The Social Construction of Ancient Cities. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, 2003. 121-55. Print.
  2. ^ LeCount, Lisa J. "Ka'kaw Pots and Common Containers: Creating Histories and Collective Memories Among the Classic Maya of Xunantunich, Belize." Ancient Mesoamerica21.2 (2010): 341–51. Print.
  3. ^ Fagan, Brian M. "Xunantunich: "The Maiden of the Rock"" from Black Land to Fifth Sun: The Science of Sacred Sites. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1998. 302–31. Print.