Orange Walk Town Surroundings - Nohmul Archaeological Site

Nohmul (Mayan for "Great Mound") is a vast archaeological site covering 7sq.mi/18sq.km, although most of it is overgrown by grass and sugarcane. The important ceremonial site was first occupied in the Pre-Classic period from c350 BC to 250 AD, and then declined in the Early Classic period when Nohmul became nothing more than a ghost town. Around the Late Classic period Nohmul's population rose, and at the height of its powers was the seat of government for the surrounding 8mi/13km.

Nohmul's tallest building is Structure 2, a large acropolis offering excellent vistas of the Orange Walk District over endless fields of cane. Thomas Gann first discovered Nohmul in 1897 and returned to excavate several times between 1908 and 1936. Many