17.1533°N, 89.0567°W.
Cahal Pech is a Maya hilltop center in western Belize on a steep ridge above the confluence of the Macal and Mopan rivers, opposite the modern town of San Ignacio. The site was occupied continuously from approximately 1200 BCE through 800 CE, with the deepest ceramic stratigraphy yet documented from the Belize Valley. Joseph Ball, Jennifer Taschek, and the BVAR project under Jaime Awe and Julie Hoggarth have systematically excavated the small ceremonial and residential complex of seven plazas covering about two hectares. The architecture is built of limestone with stucco facing and includes a small ballcourt, an E-Group astronomical complex, residential rangers, and a ritual sweatbath. The site's name in Yucatec Maya means place of the ticks, given by farmers who rediscovered the ruins in the early 20th century. The hilltop position commands a wide view of the river confluence below.
The central acropolis stands fully consolidated and accessible.