|
As you climb up into Plaza Ixim, you are going deeper into the exclusive
sector of El Pilar. Ixim is a Mayan word for maize, the staple
crop of Mesoamerica. Standing next to the railing, you can see the
plaza below. While it appears small, it is actually a bit larger than
Plaza Gumbolimbo, covering about 1/8 of an acre (30 x 18 meters or
98 x 59 feet). Because of its striking enclosure combined with the
height of our trail approach, we have dubbed this view "the swimming
pool." This is certainly a misnomer, as this plaza has never
experienced standing water, even after 1000 years without a plumber!
The Maya engineers were well aware of the 2000 millimeters (more than
6 feet) of rain per year and kept water moving. |
