Friday

Friday was a tearful day at the school. The youth played with the kids in the morning...many of them visiting the kids' homes. After lunch and many hugs, kisses and tears, the team left for Xunantunich mayan ruins. Xunantunich is about 8 miles west of San Ignacio and to get to it you have to cross the Mopan River on a small hand-cranked ferry. Its 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.
Most of the structures date from the Maya Classic Era, about 200 to 900. The core of Xunantunich occupies about one square mile, consisting of a series of six plazas surrounded by more than 26 temples and palaces. One of its structures, the pyramid known as "El Castillo," the second tallest structure in Belize (after the temple at Caracol), at some 130 feet tall.