Cahal Pech, Archaeological site in San Ignacio, Belize.
Cahal Pech occupies approximately 22 acres on a hilltop overlooking the Macal River and includes 34 structures organized across eight connected plazas with pyramids and temples.
The settlement was established around 1200 BCE during the Early Preclassic period and reached its peak population of up to 15,000 inhabitants during the Late Classic period before abandonment around 900 CE.
Excavations have uncovered Olmec-style pottery, jade ornaments, obsidian tools, and hieroglyphic inscriptions on ceramics that reveal information about local ruling dynasties and extensive trade networks throughout Mesoamerica.
The site is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with an entrance fee of 5 dollars, and visitors can access guided tours, restrooms, and an on-site museum displaying recovered artifacts.
The name translates to Place of Ticks in Yucatec Maya, given in the 1950s when the area served as pastureland, though the site represents one of the oldest Maya settlements in Belize.
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