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Nim Li Punit (Big Hat) Preliminary excavations at this ceremonial center, indicate it was important during the late Classic Period. It may have held a special relationship with nearby Lubaantum. Of the more than 25 stalae found at the site, at least eight are carved. One remains the tallest carved stela in Belize. Nim Li Punit is located off the Southern Highway about 25 miles north of Punta Gorda Town. The site is about fifteen minutes walk from the road. Uxbenka (Old Place) Local Maya have known about Uxbenka for many years. But the outside world first learned of the site's existence in 1984, when reports of looting filtered back to Belmopan. On further investigation, officials learned that indeed this was a very ancient settlement. One of the seven carved stelae found here dates from the Early Classic Period, the earliest archaeological date yet recorded in southern Belize, but most of the sculpted stones are too badly eroded to read. An additional thirteen noncarved stelae have been unearthed at Uxbenka, which also features a couple of unexcavated pyramids and a small plaza, plus some overgrown structural mounds. The site, which is not extensive, perches on a ridge overlooking the foothills and valleys of the Maya Mountains. The nearby hillsides have been faced with cut terrace stones. This art form has not been found outside the Toledo District. Hokeb Ha (Blue Creek Cave) One of the most impressive natural sites in Toledo is the Hokeb Ha Cave at Blue Creek. The huge cavern entrance is carved from the summit of a hill where the Blue Creek gurgles up form underground. After leaving the cave, the creek cascades over limestone boulders, under the towering shadows of the surrounding rainforest. Archaeologists have found inside many Late Classic ceramics and an altar, leading them to theorize that the cave was used specifically for ceremonial purposes. Pushilha Pusilha is on the Moho River in the Toledo District, about one mile east of the Guatemalan border. the ruins, built on top of a hill above the river, can only be reached by boat. The plaza contains about two dozen carved stelae. Santa Rita The modern town of Corozal is built over the ancient Maya center of Santa Rita. This site was important during the late Post-Classic Period and was occupied up to the time of Spanish contact in the 1500's. The largest building in the central core of Santa Rita has been excavated and consolidated, and open to the public. Archaeological excavations there have shown Santa Rita to be the ancient province of Chetumal, where a large part of the Post-Classic civilization once thrived. Nohmul (Great Mound) Nohmul is a major ceremonial center spread among private owned sugar cane fields near the village of San Pablo, about 7 miles north of Orange Walk Town. The site - located on a limestone ridge and dominated by a massive acropolis atop which a pyramid has been built- consists of two groups of buildings incorporating ten plazas and connected by a sacbe, or raised causeway. Nohmul was occupied first during the Pre-Classic era (350 B.C. to A.D. 250) and again during the Late Classical period (A.D. 600 to 900). At the height, the community was the seat of government for an area encompassing 8 square miles and including the nearby settlements now known as San Esteban and San Luis. Cerros Located on a peninsula across from Corozal Town and in the Bay of Chetumal, this site was important as a coastal trading center during the late Pre-Classic Period. Cerros expressed in that period , new forms of art and architecture that proved to be crucial for the formation of classic Maya art and architecture. Its tallest temple rises 21 meters above the plaza floor. Short boat ride from Corozal. Cuello Cuello is located on private land, and permission is needed to visit this ancient site, a minor ceremonial center and settlement area about 4 miles southwest of Orange Walk Town. Although not well developed for visitors, Cuello is one of the most exciting recent discoveries in the Mayan world. Before the exploration of this site in 1973 by Cambridge University, most experts believed the Mayan civilization had its start around 1500 B.C., which was the earliest date of any previously known settlement . Applying state-of-the-art carbon dating techniques to ancient maize fragments and wooden posts, it was determined that occupation by the Maya began here around 2600 B.C., possibly even earlier. Thus, the "start date" of the civilization was pushed back by a full millennium. La Milpa La Milpa is the third largest Maya site in Belize. The ceremonial center is built on a high limestone ridge and, with more than 24 courtyards and over 85 structures, is in the topmost rank of Maya sites. The Great Plaza is one of the largest public spaces in the Maya world. Beyond the Great Plaza lie other plazas, pyramids and buildings, which gradually merge into the surrounding jungle. Located in the Rio Bravo Conservation Area in northwestern Belize. Chan Chich Just south of the Rio Bravo lies the Gallon Jug parcel, some 130,000 acres of tropical forest retained by Barry Bowen as a private reserve. Intense farming is carried out in a small area and also, an unusual cattle project has got underway, using new embryo transfer technology from English Hereford bloodlines to improve local stock. But the most curious innovation for travelers here is Chan Chich Lodge, a hotel situated in the lower plaza of an ancient Maya site. As a private reserve protected from hunting, Chan Chich enjoys some of the most abundant concentrations of tropical forest wildlife in Central America. |
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The ruins of Altun Ha are famous for many reasons.
Here they found a Jade Head - largest carved jade object in the whole Maya
area - representing the Sun God, Kinich Ahau. It is a national symbol of
Belize, which you can see cornered on every Belizean banknote in
circulation. Altun Ha was a major ceremonial center in the Classic Period
(250-900 A.D.) and functioned as vital trading center linking the
Caribbean shores with other Maya centers in the interior. Altun Ha is
located 31 miles north of Belize City.
Cahal Pech is a medium-sized Maya center located in the Cayo District.
Situated along the west bank of the Macal River, Cahal Pech offers the
visitor a panoramic view of San Ignacio and the Belize River Valley below.
The remarkable contrast between the town and the jungle, which are in such
close proximity, makes Cahal Pech a unique place to visit.Cahal Pech is located on the southern outskirts of San Ignacio
Town in the upper Belize Valley region of the Cayo District, Belize.
The site center sits on the crest of a steep hill on the
west bank of the Macal River. The central acropolis, approximately
900 feet above sea level, provides a commanding view of the Maya
Mountains to the south and the fertile valleys of the Belize River
to the northeast.The site core is characterized by multiple courtyards (7 in total), and 34 mounds,
including temple pyramids, range-type "palace" structures, corbel vaulted
architecture, two ballcourts, stelae and altar monuments. The tallest
structure within the site core, Structure A-1, is approximately 25 metres
tall and was likely the focus of most elite ceremonial activities. Cahal
Pech's peripheral settlement area includes a densely occupied sustaining
area of more than 16 square kilometres, that is marked by sacbeob,
reservoirs, secondary and tertiary centres, and several plazuela groups.
Cahal Pech contains evidence of some of the earliest Maya settlements in
Belize. indicates that the first settlers began to occupy the site sometime between 1200 to 1000 B.C.
It is believed that these settlers either entered the Belize River
Valley from the west in Highland Guatemala, or they may represent
incipient cultivators whose ancestors lived in the area during the
Archaic period. Between 1000 to 600 B.C., the Cahal Pech community
acquired many exotics like jade and obsidian from sources to the
east and north of Guatemala City, marine shell from the Caribbean
Sea, and appropriated many of the early symbols of the Gulf coast
Olmec Culture. Many figurines and carved designs on pottery suggest
that these people shared similar ideologies with their counterparts
in other areas of Mesoamerica. Indeed, Cahal Pech also contains one
of the earliest carved stela (monuments) yet discovered in this
region of the Maya lowlands.
Several caves just upriver from the center contain evidence which
suggests that the occupants of the site conducted periodic rituals
within these subterranean caverns. Preserved organic remains of
corn, cacao, and anato seeds, and the skeletal remains of infants
and adults suggest that the rituals conducted in these sites may
have included human sacrifice and offerings to deities associated
with rain and agriculture.
Discovered in 1938 and later explored in the 1950's,Caracol was thought
to be little more than a Maya ceremonial center. It was not until more
extensive excavation efforts began in 1985 that the importance and expanse
of Caracol became known. In 1986, a round elaborately carved altar stone
was uncovered which described a victory by Caracol over Tikal, once
considered to be the most powerful Maya metropolis. This discovery filled
an important missing piece of Maya History and positioned Caracol as the
"supreme" Maya city. The largest pyramid, the Canaa, rises 140 feet and is
the tallest man-made structure in all of Belize. Caracol is located south
of San Ignacio and is accessible by road. The ruins of Caracol sits high on a plateau, 500 meters
above sea level on the western edge of the Maya Mountains. It is
nestled deep in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve within the Mountain
Pine Ridge area.Caracol is famed as the most extensive Maya center in the
country. Cutting across the hilly terrain, remnants of vast agricultural
field systems give evidence of an extensive farm industry that once
provided sustenance for a large population. Caracol has an internal
road system made up of 60 kilometers of Sacbeob (roads) and
causeways, which served as routes for transportation and
communication. Caracol is the largest Maya archaeological site in Belize, Central America.
In AD 650, the urban area of Caracol had a radius of approximately 10
kilometers around the site's epicenter. It covered an area much larger than
present day Belize City (the largest metropolitan area in the country of
Belize) and supported more than twice the modern city's population. Urban
Caracol maintained a population of over 140,000 people through the creation of
an immense agricultural field system and through elaborate city planning.
Caracol is noted not only for its size during the Maya Classic era (A.D.
250-950), but also for its prowess in war; this includes an AD 562 defeat of
Tikal (Guatemala) and a subsequent conquest of Naranjo (Guatemala) in AD 631.
The preliminary excavations discovered that Structure 4A was built in a series of five
construction phases. Ceramic remains recovered indicate that the first
phase of the structure was built between AD 250 and 400. The last phase of
architecture was completed by AD 800. The 533 fragments of human bone that
were retrieved from the structure confirm that it was used as a funerary
building.
This major ceremonial center is located on a natural limestone ridge,
providing a panoramic view of the Cayo District. The largest pyramid, "El
Castillo", has been partially excavated and explored and bears remarkable
stucco frieze on its east side. Three carved stelae found at the site are
on display in the plaza. Xunantunich is located across the river from the
village of San Jose Succotz, near the western border. In comparison to other Belize River Valley sites, the
culture history of Xunantunich is relatively short. Evidence
gathered by archaeologists suggest that although early settlers may have
established a small village at the site during the Middle Preclassic
(600-300 B.C.) period, the ancient city, as we know it, rose to prominence
and declined from about 700 A.D. to 1000 A.D. This rather late
development is unusual because it indicates that while most other cities
in the region were waning during the troubled Terminal Classic period
(800-900 A.D.), the fortunes of Xunantunich were on the rise.
The center of Xunantunich sits on an
artificially leveled limestone ridge that stands almost 183 meters above
sea level. From this core area the site radiates outward,
encompassing settlements that extend for several square kilometers.
The epicenter consists of four major architectural groups.
Xunantunich lies directly on the tourist
route for those leaving Belize for Tikal in Guatemala or vice versa and is
easily accessible from the main Western Highway. Less than one mile below
the site are the surging rapids of the Mopan River, which is perfect for
canoeing, kayaking, rubber-rafting and swimming. The actual reserve covers
.25 sq. km. and is fast becoming the only piece of “jungle” in an
agriculturally developed area. The view from the summit of A-6 is
superb.
The reserve is located across the river from the village of
San Jose Succotz, near the Western Border. It can be reached by ferry
daily anytime between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. Daily public transportation
provide many scheduled trips through Succotz and accommodation is
available in neighbouring Benque Viejo del Carmen or in San Ignacio town,
8 miles away. The reserve also has restrooms, picnic areas and gift shops
which sell cold drinks and souvenirs.
Occupation began at Baking Pot during the Preclassic period and continued until the Early
Postclassic. It appears that the city rose to prominence during the
Classic period, with the majority of the site built during the Late
Classic. Unlike most of the cities of the central Maya area, it survived
through the Classic collapse, as evidenced by several small structures
built after A.D. 900. Such evidence of Postclassic occupation is rare in
the Belize Valley. Unfortunately, the attempted resurgence
failed, and the city-center was eventually abandoned around A.D. 1200. In
the site periphery however, we have uncovered evidence of continued
occupation until A.D. 1500.
Located on the New River Lagoon, this is one of Belize's largest
ceremonial centers. It displays the more exotic features of ancient Maya
art and architecture. Lamanai had one of the longest occupation spans,
dating from 1500 B.C. to the 19th century, which includes the contact
period with Spaniards. Historical occupation is represented in the remains
of two Christian churches and a sugar mill.
El Pilar, northwest of San Ignacio, is different in feeling. Its
enormous area, still linked by narrow paths between the ruin, suggests a
huge agricultural center and market bigger than any that exist in the area
today. EL Pilar is a 100 acre Middle Pre-Classic and Late
Classic Mayan That is situated 12 miles northwest of San Ignacio in the Cayo
District. The rare abundance of natural water sources in this vicinity is
possibly the origin of the name El Pilar ("pila" being Spanish for
watering basin).
A particularly intriguing feature is a causeway that extends from the
eastern part of the ruins across the country border into Guatemala. Thus
far, 12 pyramids and 25 plazas have been found at El Pilar. This is triple
the number found in nearby sites such as Xunantunich and Cahal Pech. The
site was occupied between (500 BC) and (1000 AD) periods. A variety of
residential structures were discovered during excavations, in addition to
elite household compounds and ceremonial structures.
In contrast to other nearby sites, El Pilar remains virtually the same
way today as when it was discovered. Most structures are in the early
stages of excavation. Currently there are five trail systems at El Pilar,
three archeological and two primarily nature trail intended to provide
insight into the agro-forestry of the ancient Maya. This provides the
visitor with a sense of what the site looked like before archeologists
began their research on the area. The site and its surrounding vegetation
make a perfect birding destination.
