El Castillo Mayan Temple, Xunantunich, Belize
© Suzi Pratt/500px Prime/Getty Images
A stony skyscraper
People haven't inhabited this site in western Belize for a thousand years, but something else is said to roam the ruins. The name Xunantunich (Stone Woman or Maiden of the Rock) was given to this Mayan archaeological complex in the 19th century—based on alleged sightings of a ghostly woman who disappears as one gets nearer to her. More than 25 palaces and temples are preserved within about a square mile here, high on a plateau above the Mopan River. Our image is of the pyramid El Castillo—Belize's second-tallest structure.
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