Archaeology Dept. will assess damage at Nohmul

The Archaeology Department will begin salvage excavations next week on the ancient Maya mound at Nohmul, which was bulldozed last weekend. Archaeology Commissioner John Morris told News Five that his staff will first seek to determine the extent of the damage at the site, located in the Orange Walk District, and will then proceed to take legal action against those responsible for the damage. Half of the Maya mound, containing pieces of pottery and other artifacts, was bulldozed by a crew building feeder roads on contract to the government. The bulldozer driver claimed he did not know what he was destroying. According to Commissioner Morris, the destruction of ancient buildings is shamefully common, particular in Northern Belize, which due to its flat landscape has fewer good quarry sites. Even in the south Morris says his archaeologists must be vigilant as new construction of the Southern Highway will make limestone a precious commodity and ancient Maya buildings are an easy target.