Cahal Pech Archaeological Site

The ruins of Cahal Pech (“Place of the Ticks”) still have a covering of jungle around them. A steep 10-minute walk from downtown San Ignacio, Cahal Pech is a great, tree-shaded destination, with amazing views of the valley to the north. Cahal Pech was discovered in the early 1950s, but scientific research did not begin until 1988, when a team from San Diego State University’s Department of Anthropology began work. Thirty-four structures were compacted into a three-acre area. Excavation is ongoing and visitors are welcome. You’ll pay a small fee at Cahal Pech Visitor Center (tel. 501/824-4236, 6 a.m.–6 p.m. daily), which also gives you access to a small museum of artifacts found at the site. Nearby Tipu was an important Maya-Christian town during the early years of colonization. Tipu was as far as the Spanish were able to penetrate in the 16th century.