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. Free images of Belize - Xunantunich - Maya Ruins Note
on large files: Very large files may be bigger than your
screen.
Xunantunich - Belize - 11 "El Castillo" Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1246 x 941 - For the large image, please send an email request.
The first archeological site in Belize that was ever opened to the public was Xunantunich in 1954. Getting to the site involves a 130 km drive west of Belize City and then a short ferry crossing over a small river. Climbing atop the ruins, one can easily see the border of Guatemala 1 km away to the west. Xunantunich is believed to have been a ceremonial center in the Late and Terminal Classic periods. The name in Mayan means "Stone Woman" or "Maiden of the Rock" in the Yucatec dialect. We do not know what the original name of the center was. The modern name given refers to a ghost seen at the site - a woman dressed in white with red eyes. She appears in front of "El Castillo", climbs the stone stairs and disappears into a stone wall.
Xunantunich - Belize - 14 "El Castillo" Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1216 x 822 - For the large image, please send an email request.
It is thought that Xunantunich was built some time around the Classic Period 300-900 AD. An unknown event caused it to be abandoned around 750 AD. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of an earthquake. The center was re-established approximately 780-890 AD. Xunantunich covers an area of about 1 square mile and is made up of six plazas that are surrounded by more than 26 Temples and Palaces. The center of the site is located on an artificially leveled limestone ridge which stands 183 meters above sea level. The best known structure at Xunantunich is the pyramid named "El Castillo" which stands 130 feet (40 m) tall and has been built on the intersection of two cardinal lines. Evidence suggests that the temple was built, much like many other Mayan Temples, in two stages.
Xunantunich - Belize - 1 "El Castillo" Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1273 x 922 - For the large image, please send an email request.
Xunantunich - Belize - 2 The View from atop El Castillo Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1296 x 976 - For the large image, please send an email request.
Xunantunich - Belize - 3 The View from atop El Castillo Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1296 x 976 - For the large image, please send an email request.
The 360 degree views from the top of El Castillo offer wonderful views of the jungle canopy surrounding the area. One can see the Macal, Mopan and Belize River Valleys as well as the Guatemalan Peten District.
Xunantunich - Belize - 4 The View from atop El Castillo Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1296 x 976 - For the large image, please send an email request.
Xunantunich - Belize - 5 The View from atop El Castillo looking down the stairs. Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1296 x 976 - For the large image, please send an email request.
Xunantunich
- Belize - 15 Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1296 x 976 - For the large image, please send an email request.
Xunantunich - Belize - 7 Climbing down the stairs of El Castillo. Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1161 x 870 - For the large image, please send an email request.
El Castillo is best known for its frieze - a banded stucco decoration - which originally extended all around pyramid. The frieze shows the birth of a god, gods of creation and includes the tree of life extending from the underworld, the earth and the heavens. Note: Don't confuse "El Castillo" at Xunantunich with the one at Chichen Itza !
Xunantunich - Belize - 16 Remains of banded stucco decorations. Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1296 x 976 - For the large image, please send an email request.
Xunantunich - Belize - 8 El Castillo Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1238 x 934 - For the large image, please send an email request.
Xunantunich - Belize - 9 Mayan ruins at Xunantunich Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1236 x 931 - For the large image, please send an email request.
Xunantunich - Belize - 10 Mayan ruins at Xunantunich with El Castillo in background. Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1296 x 976 - For the large image, please send an email request.
Xunantunich - Belize - 12 Mayan ruins at Xunantunich with El Castillo in background. Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1296 x 976 - For the large image, please send an email request.
Xunantunich - Belize - 13 Mayan ruins at Xunantunich with El Castillo in background. Medium - 640 x 480 Right click on above image and chose "save as". Large - 1234 x 929 - For the large image, please send an email request.
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