La Milpa, Belize
La Milpa, Belize [Si].Major Lowland Maya site situated at 180m above sea level on an upland area between the Río Bravo escarpment and the Río Azul. The site was first explored by Sir Eric Thompson in 1938 but only rarely studied between that time and 1992, when a major new survey and investigation programme began under the direction of Norman Hammond.
The focus of the site occupies an area some 680m by 250m and is dominated by the Great Plaza. At c.165m by 120m this plaza is one of the largest public spaces built by the Maya. It is dominated by four large temple pyramids, the highest of which rises 24m above the plaza floor. To the south are two reservoirs, and beyond them a second group of buildings comprising three open plazas and a series of open courtyards. There are also two ball-courts, an acropolis, and a royal residence.
Eighteen stelae are known at La Milpa, most of them set on the eastern side of the Great Plaza in front...
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