![]() "El Castillo" at Xunantunich | |
Location within Mesoamerica | |
Location | San Jose Succotz, Belize |
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Region | Cayo District |
Coordinates | 17°05′21″N 89°08′29″W / 17.089059°N 89.141427°W |
History | |
Periods | Preclassic to Postclassic occupation |
Cultures | Maya |
Site notes | |
Archaeologists | Thomas Gann, Sir J. Eric S. Thompson, A. H. Anderson, Linton Satterhwaite, Peter SchmidtA |
Condition | Old |
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.