Site 01

This site, fortuitously discovered in what was once considered a natural cave, is one of extraordinary size. Its multi-storied structure must have served some vital public function, being capable of accomodating thousands of people at once. Some stunning staircases, partly still standing, suggest a ceremonial function where a person - a priest or a ruler - could be elevated for everyone to see. An interpretation that is corroborated by the existence of ample balconies that would allow the populace to watch and participate. Most artifacts, though, have been found within smaller spaces within the main structure. This could have been burial chambers or - as other scholar have proposed - sacred reliquiaries only accessible to the clergy.