El Pilar:
Historical Monument,
Classroom and Living Culture
An ancient Maya house site, Tzunu’un, at El Pilar.
This ancient Maya city center links what is now Belize and Guatemala. The site has more than 25 identified plazas in an area of approximately 100 acres (38 hectares), ranking it equal with major centers of the lowland Maya region. It is the largest center in the Belize River area, more than three times the size of other well-known centers such as Baking Pot or Xunantunich.
The abundance of water in the vicinity of El Pilar—its name is derived from the Spanish word for watering basin—is rare in the Maya area; the venerable ancient city of Tikal (just 50km west) had no natural water sources at all.
Today, El Pilar is at the heart of a 5,000-acre archeological reserve for flora and fauna (enlarge map), welcoming visitors and engaging scholars. Research at El Pilar emphasizes the ancient Maya people rather than the governing elites. Multidisciplinary studies focus on where the Maya built their homes (settlement patterns) and how they fed their large populations (resource management).