 xunantunich (pronounced /ÊunantunitÍ¡Ê/) is an ancient maya archaeological site in western belize, about 80 miles (130&nbsp;km) west of belize city, in the cayo district. xunantunich is located atop a ridge above the mopan river, well within sight of the guatemala border â which is a mere  to the west.yaeger, jason. "untangling the ties that bind: the city, the countryside, and the nature of maya urbanism at xunantunich, belize." the social construction of ancient cities. washington, d.c.: smithsonian institution, 2003. 121-55. print. it served as a maya civic ceremonial center in the late and terminal classic periods to the belize valley region.lecount, lisa j. "ka'kaw pots and common containers: creating histories and collective memories among the classic maya of xunantunich, belize." ancient mesoamerica21.2 (2010): 341-51. print. at this time, when the region was at its peak, nearly 200,000 people lived in belize.fagan, brian m. "xunantunich: "the maiden of the rock"" from black land to fifth sun: the science of sacred sites. reading, ma: addison-wesley, 1998. 302-31. print. xunantunichâs name means "stone woman" in the maya language (mopan and yucatec combination name), and, like many names given to maya archaeological sites, is a modern name; the ancient name is currently unknown. the "stone woman" refers to the ghost of a woman claimed by several people to inhabit the site, beginning in 1892. she is dressed completely in white, and has fire-red glowing eyes. she generally appears in front of "el castillo", ascends the stone stairs, and disappears into a stone wall. the first modern explorations of the site were conducted by thomas gann in the mid-1890s. gann moved from britain and served as the district surgeon and district commissioner of cayo, british honduras, starting in 1892. he chose this area to settle in because he had an interest in mayan archaeology, and he wishe
Cayo_District Former_populated_places_in_Belize Maya_sites Maya_sites_in_Belize Mopan_River