Tau Witz Mayan Ruins

Tau Witz (translating as "dwelling of a local god of the hill") is a Mayan ruin located within Mayflower Bocawina National Park. The site contains the unexcavated ruins of a 43 by 64 meter temple, along with a single stela and the site of a granite quarry, the only known quarry near the Mayflower Bocawina sites. The ruins are reachable by a 0.75-mile trail, signed as the Tau Witz Trail, which begins near the park visitor center and Mayflower Mayan Ruins.

Archeological artifacts make the site hard to date exactly, however, it is assigned to the Terminal Classic Period of Mayan architecture. Artifacts found at the site remain on display inside the park visitor center.

While the first half of the hike to the site follows flat hard-packed jungle trail, the final quarter-mile is up a steep climb. It would be easy to completely miss the temple ruins altogether until one hits the stela and turns around to make out the form of a temple rising from the jungle flora. Leaving the site, hikers can either retrace their route on the Tau Witz Trail or fork onto the Bird Trail to complete a 2-mile loop, which brings them back to the Mayflower Mayan Ruins and park visitor center.