Anabel Ford has spent almost two decades working at El Pilar, a vast ancient Maya city straddling the border between Belize and Guatemala. With her multidisciplinary team of researchers, this American archaeologist and anthropologist is developing the site into a model for conservation, sustainable development and cooperation.

She is now closer than ever to realising her ultimate vision for a single, unified El Pilar. To achieve this, she has implemented the El Pilar Program, a strategic plan that transcends a troubled international boundary and establishes the long-term foundation for preserving the site’s cultural heritage.