FOX News: Fine for destruction of ancient Mayan pyramid? $5,000

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Fine for destruction of ancient Mayan pyramid? $5,000 May 17th 2013, 12:04 May 13, 2013: A backhoe claws away at the sloping sides of the Nohmul complex, one of Belize's largest Mayan pyramids on May 10, 2013 in northern Belize.AP Photo/Jaime Awe May 13, 2013: A man looks up at the damaged sloping sides of the Nohmul complex, one of Belize's largest Mayan pyramids in northern Belize. A construction company has essentially destroyed the pyramid with backhoes and bulldozers to extract crushed rock for a road-building project.AP Photo/Jaime Awe Heavy construction equipment sits dormant at the remains of a partially destroyed Mayan temple, part of the 3,200 year old site known as Noh Mul or "Big Hill."7NewsBelize.com / Jules Vasquez Crumbled shards of monochrome pottery typical of the pre-classic area, many reduced to rubble, lay scattered across the former site of a Mayan temple, destroyed by a construction crew.7NewsBelize.com / Jules Vasquez Heavy construction equipment sits dormant at the remains of a partially destroyed Mayan temple, part of the 3,200 year old site known as Noh Mul or "Big Hill."7NewsBelize.com / Jules Vasquez Next Slide Previous Slide BELIZE CITY –  The penalty for the near-total destruction of one of the biggest Mayan pyramids in Belize -- which the government called "unforgivable" and left archaeologists speechless -- may leave conservationists speechless: just $5,000.  Police have launched an investigation and anyone found responsible could face five to 10 years in imprison, a fine of about $5,000 or both.  Timeline Bulldozers and backhoes have essentially destroyed one of Belize's largest Mayan pyramids, which survived millennia of storms, rain and wind only to succumb to a construction company seeking gravel for road fill. Tuesday, May 14: The government said it is pursuing a "vigorous" investigation, calling the incident "callous, ignorant and unforgivable." Monday, May 13: News of the destruction was uncovered by 7newsbelize.com, which showed the scene to horrified archaeologists. To avoid the fee, fingers are frantically pointing in the Caribbean country, with the owner of De' Mar's Stone Co., the road-building company that has been blamed for the incident, saying the landowner gave him permission to extract the material. Businessman Denny Grijalva said the landowner had allowed excavations on his property for more than a decade. In 1998, then businessmen Alfredo Martinez extracted stones from the same area also to build a road. Martinez is now Belize's ambassador in neighboring Guatemala. Archeologists in Belize and around the world expressed outrage at the demolition of the Nohmul complex in northern Belize to extract crushed rock. Nohmul sat in the middle of a privately owned sugar cane field, and lacked the even stone sides frequently seen in reconstructed or better-preserved pyramids. The head of the Belize Institute of Archaeology, Jaime Awe, said the builders could not possibly have mistaken the pyramid mound, which is about 100 feet tall, for a natural hill because the ruins were well-known and the landscape there is naturally flat. 'I share the public's concern and indeed condemnation at the unfolding of this very unfortunate incident.' - Denny Grijalva, owner of De' Mar's Stone Co. Grijalva said in a statement that the foreman at his De' Mar's Stone Co. picked the pyramid mound for digging out rock after the chairman of Douglas Village, where his company was building and repairing roads, didn't like the material they first showed him. Workers excavated all day last Thursday, Grijalva said. They stopped digging the next day after several officials from the National Institute of History and Culture instructed them to stop, he said. "Recognizing that the buck stops at my desk, I share the public's concern and indeed condemnation at the unfolding of this very unfortunate incident," Grijalva said. "I am committed to fully cooperate with the authorities in their investigation into this regrettable incident." The Associated Press contributed to this report. Related Stories Bulldozers destroy 3,200-year-old Mayan pyramid in Belize 'Lost City of Gold' found deep in Honduras rain forest? Stunning Byzantine mosaic uncovered in Israel Here's the oldest water on Earth

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