Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Crime against culture

"This is one of the largest bulding[s] in Norther Belize. I am appalled! I was hoping that when I was driving up from the main San Juan road that it would not be this one but when I got closer I couldn't believe it when I saw all the trucks. This is an incredible destruction." – Dr. Allan Moore, Institute of Archaeology
On Sunday, the archaeologists of Belize discovered that one of the country's largest and most important Mayan monuments had been deliberately destroyed. The Noh Mul pyramid was the centerpiece of a ceremonial complex dating back to 350 B.C.E. Now all that remains is a central core which may well collapse once it is weakened by rain. A private construction company is responsible for demolishing the monument with bulldozers and backhoes, hauling away the limestone to use as gravel fill for a road project. Police are conducting an investigation and may file criminal charges, since any pre-Hispanic ruins are under government protection. The Belize community-action group Citizens Organised for Liberty Through Action called the construction company's action "an obscene example of disrespect for the environment and history."

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