 | |
 | |
  Location within Belize Show map of Belize | |
| Location | San Ignacio, Cayo District, Belize |
|---|---|
| Region | Cayo District |
| History | |
| Founded | 1200 BCE |
| Abandoned | 900 CE |
| Periods | Classic |
| Cultures | Maya |
| Site notes | |
| Excavation dates | 1988 - 2000 |
| Archaeologists | Jaime AweNational Institute of Archaeology (NICH) |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural styles | Classic |
| Responsible body: Belize Department of Archaeology | |
Cahal Pech is aMaya site located near the town ofSan Ignacio in theCayo District ofBelize. The site was a palatial, hilltop home for an eliteMaya family, and though the most major construction dates to theClassic period, evidence of continuous habitation has been dated to as far back as 1200 BCE during the Early Middle Formative period (Early MiddlePreclassic), making Cahal Pech one of the oldest recognizablyMaya sites in WesternBelize.[1][2]
The site rests high above the banks of theMacal River and is strategically located to overlook the confluence of theMacal River and theMopan River. The site is a collection of 34 structures, with the tallest temple being about 25 meters in height, situated around a central acropolis. The site was abandoned in the 9th century CE for unknown reasons.[citation needed]
The earliest pottery in westernBelize is found here.
"Emerging information from westernBelize suggests that ceramic-using populations may have been in place as early as ca. 1200 B.C. at Cahal Pech and perhaps elsewhere (Awe 1992; Clark and Cheetham 2002; Garber et al. 2004; Healy and Awe 1995). While these complexes, termed "Cunil" at Cahal Pech and "Kanocha" atBlackman Eddy, remain to be broadly documented across theBelize River Valley, they are the earliest established ceramic technologies recorded in westernBelize."[3]
The nameCahal Pech, meaning "Place of the Ticks" in theYucatec Maya language,[4] was given when the area was used as pasture during the first archaeological studies in the 1950s, led byLinton Satterthwaite from theUniversity of Pennsylvania Museum. It is now anarchaeological reserve, and houses a small museum with artifacts from various ongoing excavations.
The primary excavation of the site began in 1988. Restoration was completed in 2000 under the leadership of Dr.Jaime Awe, Director of the National Institute of Archaeology (NICH),Belize.[5]
Other nearby Maya sites includeChaa Creek,Xunantunich,Baking Pot, andLower Dover.
Media related toCahal Pech at Wikimedia Commons17°08′45″N89°04′27″W / 17.1457°N 89.0741°W /17.1457; -89.0741
