Description of the attraction
Cajal Pech is a city of the Mayan civilization, located in the Cayo region, near San Ignacio, in the upper part of the Belize Valley, near the Makal and Mopan rivers. The total area of the Kahal-Pech complex is about 25 sq. km. and includes 34 large buildings, the largest of which is possibly a steam room or a bathhouse.
The settlement was founded at the beginning of the pre-Classical era and flourished until the end of the Classical period, although pottery found on site indicates a longer use of the buildings. Recent excavations have suggested that Cahal Pech, which was most likely built by the Mayan Indians from Guatemala, is one of the oldest settlements of this civilization in Belize.
Kahal-Pech was once the country house of a wealthy family. The ceremonial center includes temples, pyramids, palaces and a ball court. Some of the earliest stele monuments in the region have been found here. It is one of the oldest recognizable Mayan cities in western Belize. The place was abandoned in the 9th century AD for unknown reasons.
Archaeological excavations began in the 1950s and have been going on for several decades, but most of Kahal Pech is open to the public.
