(PNS reporting from BELIZE CITY) The Nohmul complex, an ancient Mayan pyramid in the north of this Central American country, was recently bulldozed by a local contractor who used the crushed rock to “fill” a road. Nohmul was utilized as a ceremonial center 2,300 years ago.
After public outcry from archaeologists, local authorities said they would investigate the demolition.
Belize real estate attorney Alejandro Bolsa de Duchez defended the destruction:
The Mayans could not keep up on their payments and were foreclosed on and evicted long ago, so I don’t know why anyone is crying about this. The place doesn’t even have functioning toilets. The electrical is primitive, at best. Face it, it’s not a fixer-upper, it’s a teardown.
Unfortunately the contractor completely desecrated this ancient Mayan artifact merely to fill a road. They could have done something useful, like build a Wal-Mart, like they do in Mexico.