Xunantunich

You know you are in an interesting country when the highest man-made structure is a Mayan ruin. This is our neighbor, Xunantunich (meaning Stone Maiden). The Maya are one of the many diverse people groups in Belize and have left significant cultural and historical impacts on Belize. In the height of their civilization (200-900 AD) they developed complex writing systems, were brilliant astronomers and mathematicians, carried out colorful religious rituals throughout cities like Xunantunich, and developed a calender as accurate as the one we live by today (the Maya calender ends 21 December 2012!). Nabitunich, the farm where we live, served as open land for peasants and laborers (essentially a Mayan suburb). The history of this land is so fascinating - it's easy to be reminded finding shards of Mayan pottery while strolling around campus and surrounding properties! Standing on the top of El Castillo, Jared captured the students working on their tans CCSP-style.