Belize

The government said Tuesday it is pursuing a "vigorous" investigation into a road-building company's near destruction of one of the largest Mayan pyramids in Belize.The Ministry of Tourism and Culture expressed outrage at the demolition of the Nohmul complex in northern Belize to extract crushed rock for a road project. It said it is investigating to determine precisely how it happened.Its statement called the wrecking of the ceremonial center that dates back at least 2,300 years "callous, ignorant and unforgivable."Cultural landmarks like Nohmul should be protected at all costs and the "disdain for our laws and policies is incomprehensible," the statement said.Jaime Awe, who heads the Belize Institute of Archaeology, said Monday that the builders could not possibly have mistaken the pyramid mound for a natural hill because the ruins were well-known and the landscape there is naturally flat.Awe said the destruction at complex in northern Belize was detected late last week.People's Unit...

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