San Ignacio Bound - Visit to Xunantunich

After staying at Cave's Branch for a night, we took the bus to San Ignacio. This is a small town located in the hills of Belize, close to the jungle. We stayed at Cahal Pech in San Ignacio for about 4 days.

The Mayan history is commonly studied on the mainland as there are many ruins that still exist. The common Mayan people were shorter who believed in sacrifices (either auto or not) as a way to give their bodies to the Gods. The Mayans were very interesting people to learn about. One of the more popular Mayan Ruin site is called Xunantunich. This is one of the highest ruin still standing. We went to the ruin and climbed to the top. Even though it was a long hike up to the ruin, the view was worth it. Once I climbed to the top, I was able to see the country border between Belize and Guatemala. The jungle was beautiful from the top, and it was neat to see the different villages from a distance.

(On my right side is Guatemala, on my left is Belize. This is standing at the top of Xunantunich)

We later came to learn Mayans often played games, similar to basketball. The captain for the winning team would be decapitated, and therefore their body would be given to the Gods. I also learned that a lot of ceremonial practices took place, for really anything they felt would better their position with the Gods.

I really enjoyed visiting this Mayan Ruin. It definitely is a must see when in San Ignacio.