Cahal Pech Mayan Ruins

Cahal Pech, meaning “Place of Ticks,” is a Maya site located in the Cayo district of Belize, just outside the town of San Ignacio.  Cahal Pech supported a substantial population from the Middle Pre-classic to the Late Classic period. It is estimated that during the Late Classic between 10,000 – 15,000 people lived in the city and its’ immediate periphery.

The site is within the upper region of the Belize Valley, close to both the Macal and Mopan rivers and about 10 kilometres (approx. 6.2 miles) from the neighbouring Maya site of Xunantunich and 6 kilometres (approx. 3.7 miles) from Bueno Vista. These sites generally are made up of several plaza groups surrounded by large non-domestic structures, at least one ball court, and multiple monuments.

This ancient Mayan site features a museum and several dozen surviving structures. This small area of ruins is just on the edge of town. These ruins are not as grand and “famous” as others in the area but are still a quite nice place to explore for an hour or so.