The second-largest stela in the Maya world can be viewed amid a protected jungle zone at the remains of a Late Classic Maya kingdom, an hour's walk (7km) north of Dolores. Depicting a ruler wearing a headdress of quetzal feathers, it stands at one end of a large ceremonial center of three plazas, an unrestored temple and an acropolis.
Archaeologists speculate that the complex of structures on the Plaza Principal may have been used as an astronomical observatory. Ixcún's sister city, Ixtontón, a major trading center until the 11th century AD, is another 6km along the Río Mopán.
