One of Belize's largest Mayan pyramids was destroyed by construction workers. Diggers and bulldozers were used to extract crushed rock from the ancient relic.
The destruction occurred at the Nohmul complex was found late last week, said an archeology expert Tuesday. The 2,300-year-old pyramid is located in northern Belize and is an important landmark site. It sits in a privately owned sugar cane hill and was missing stones as seen in pyramids that are well preserved.
Even so, there's no possible way that the construction crew could have mistaken the pyramid for a natural hill. It's over 100 feet tall and the ruins are well known.
"These guys knew that this was an ancient structure. It's just bloody laziness," head of the Belize Institute of Archaeology, Jaime Awe, said Tuesday.
"It's a feeling of incredible disbelief because of the ignorance and the insensitivity ... they were using this for road fill. It's like being punched in the stomach; it's just so horrendous," Awe said. Photos taken at the site show diggers clawing away at the pyramid and what's left is an isolated core of limestone cobbles.
Chairman of the department of anthropology at the University of Central Florida, Arlen Chase said that the destruction of ancient Mayan landmarks happens far too often. The Mayan civilization spanned across southeastern Mexico, through Belize, Guatemala and Honduras.
"Unfortunately, this destruction of our heritage is irreversible but many don't take it seriously," he added. "The only way to stop it is by showing that it is a major crime and people can and will go to jail for it." Francisco Estrada-Belli, professor in Tulane University's anthropology department, said.
Authorities in Belize said that an investigation is underway and the construction firm could possibly face criminal charges. Belizean law protects pre-Hispanic ruins, although the Nohmul complex is located on private property.
