The most prominent structure located at the south end of the site is the pyramid "El Castillo"
(The Castle) which rises 130 feet high above the plaza which was occupied until the 900 AD.
"El Castillo" was the tallest man-made structure in all of Belize until the discovery of "Canaa" at Caracol. Over the past 70 years many archaeologists have done many excavations. Overlooking
the Mopan River, the Maya Site of Xunantunich is located approximately eight miles west of
San Ignacio Town at San Jose Succotz Village in the Cayo District. Xunantunich is accessible by public transportation, but after crossing the Mopan River by way of a hand-cranked ferry, you must walk about one mile to the entrance of the site. You will be ferried across with their vehicle, thus eliminating the walk. Take a steep, but short, climb to the top of "El Castillo." This vantage point provides a breathtaking, 360 degree, panoramic view over the jungle canopy of the Macal, Mopan and Belize River valleys, as well as a vast area of the Guatemalan Peten District.
