21past horizons Past at El Pilar continued ? ? Inset: A representation of the Maya ruins at Labna in Yucatan, Mexico, by Frederick Catherwood By Anabel Ford Imagine how Frederick Catherwood and John Lloyd Stephens must have felt upon seeing the vine- wrapped, overgrown, abandoned cities and temples of the ancient Maya in their expeditions of the 1830s and 40s. Discovered only 25 years ago, the unique Maya site of El Pilar on the border of Guatemala and Belize offers that same experience: the monuments are still embraced by the forest, showcasing the Maya foliage as much as the Maya city itself. We call the style of presentation practised at El Pilar ' Archaeology Under the Canopy', where the ancient monuments are protected by the natural habitat that envelops them.

past horizons22 Central Maya Lowlands with El Pilar and other major centres indicated. A Maya temple at El Pilar protected by forest vegetation ( credit: Macduff Everton) At its height, this ancient city centre of El Pilar housed over 20,000 people in a mosaic landscape of city houses and gardens, surrounded by forest and agricultural fields. It has over 25 identified plazas in an area of approximately 100 acres ( 38 hectares), ranking it equal with major centres of the lowland Maya region. It is the largest centre in the Belize River area, more than three to five times the size of nearby centres Baking Pot or Xunantunich. Protected today in Belize and Guatemala, El Pilar's temples and plazas are connected by an ancient Maya causeway, symbolising its potential to become the world's first archaeological peace park. If El Pilar is such a large, important site, why not expose its monuments? The ancient buildings are sheltered by vegetation, while simultaneously encouraging an alternative focus from other sites: the environment, life ways and living culture of the Maya. Research at El Pilar centres on settlement patterns, environmental management, and the everyday people of the Maya civilisation. Partial exposures offer glimpses of the monumental architecture, while a fully excavated and consolidated house site, Tzunu'un, evokes everyday Maya life. In fact, everyday Maya life can still be experienced in the surrounding villages of El Pilar, where the rich cultural heritage of the Maya people has been maintained. The management model at El Pilar incorporates this community, leading to a rewarding collaboration