Cahel Pech

Located in the heart of modern San Ignacio, Cahel Pech was once a palatial hilltop home for an elite Maya family. Overlooking the junction of the Macal and Mopan rivers, the site includes 34 excavated structures, including ballcourts and a central acropolis arranged around a pyramid 25m high. Originally covering 26 square kilometres, only a fraction has been examined and artifacts remain common on the ground in the surrounding area.

Like so many cities of the Maya period its original name is lost, with Cahel Pech meaning “Place of Ticks” from when the area was used as pasture during the first archaeological studies in the 1950s. Unfortunately, looting in the 1970s left a gap in potential scientific understanding no stelae or writing have since been recovered. Official  excavation of the site began in 1988 and was completed in 2000.  
There is evidence of continuous habitation as early as 1,200 BC, making it one of the oldest recognizable Maya sites in Western Belize, until it too was victim of the Mayan collapse around 800AD. At the peak of Maya civilization, this site would have been home to as many as 15,000 people.

Having a site such as this in easy walking distance from our hotel was a real treat, and since its a lesser-known ruin we practically had it to ourselves. Although the view from the top of the pyramid largely obscured by trees and therefore less impressive than others, the lines and design of the plaza entrance were incredibly unique and interesting to me.