From the top of El Castillo, the tallest Mayan ruin at Xunantunich and second-largest man-made structure in Belize, I could see forever, and it took my breath away. Our guide called out to my husband, who was waiting in the plaza far below with a voice that bounced and echoed off the other buildings around us. We had clambered up the ruin, using hands and knees to scale its steep steps. It was easy to see how a ruler could employ the architecture to assert strength and power over as many as 10,000 people who lived in and around this ancient city.
We had driven two hours through the jungle from Placencia along winding Hummingbird Highway to get to Xunantunich, where the only way onto the property was across the serene Mopan River on a hand-cranked ferry. It was a quiet way to approach the ancient ruin and a gentle reminder that water is as important to life now as it was two millennia ago. Another half-mile drive up the mountain led us to a visitors center where a helpful map illustrated the complex ruin.
