Exploring Belize's Ancient Pyramids And Their Secrets

Belize is home to a plethora of Mayan ruins, including several pyramids. The Central American nation is nestled between Mexico and Guatemala and is considered part of the southern Maya lowlands of the Mesoamerican culture area. The Mayan tribes inhabited Belize from 1,000 B.C. onwards, with the Classic Period or Mayan Golden Age taking place between 300 and 900. This period saw the rise of massive cities and ceremonial sites, with Belize's fertile climate and coastal location making it a hub for Mayan development. Today, tourists can explore several well-preserved sites, including Altun Ha, Lamanai, Caracol, Xunantunich, and El Pilar, each boasting its own unique set of pyramids, temples, and plazas.

Altun Ha: a well-excavated site with two plazas, mounds, and pyramids

Altun Ha, located in northern Belize, is a well-excavated site that was once a major Maya culture ceremonial centre and trading hub. The site features two large central plazas surrounded by mid-sized pyramids and mounds. Altun Ha is unique in that it has no carved stelae, but it is renowned for its large jade artefacts, including a jade-head sculpture of the Maya sun god, Kinich Ahau.

The site covers an area of about 8 square kilometres (or 5 square miles), with a central precinct composed of Groups A and B, and Zones C, D, and E making up the nucleated area. Group A, arranged around a large plaza, forms the early civic and ceremonial core of the site. The most important structure in this group is Structure A1, a truncated pyramid with a broad stairway leading up to three staggered terraces. A royal tomb was discovered under the temple floor, containing over 300 jade objects, including a rare codex.

Group B gained importance during the Late Classic and is where many elite burials were found, containing vast amounts of jade. The most important structure in this group, and in the entire site, is Structure B4, also known as the Temple of the Masonry Altars. This multi-tiered structure rises to a height of 16 metres (or 52/55 feet) and contains several rooms and tombs. The most impressive is Tomb B4/7, which dates to around 650 A.D. and contains the skeleton of a presumed ruler, along with the largest jade object found in the Maya World—a carved jade head of the Sun God, weighing nearly 5-11 pounds.

Altun Ha is easily accessible, located just 28-30 miles outside of Belize City, and is a popular tourist destination for those interested in exploring ancient Mayan sites.

Lamanai: features three pyramids, stelae, and a ball court

Lamanai, located in northern Belize, is one of the most interesting and picturesque Mayan ruins in the country. The site features three large pyramids, the High Temple, the Jaguar Temple, and the Mask Temple, along with a host of Mayan stelae and an ancient ball court. The site also includes two 16th-century Spanish churches, making it one of the few sites in Belize to retain its traditional name and withstand Spanish colonisation for several centuries.

The Jaguar Temple is a stepped pyramid with a jaguar head jutting out from the front. The Mask Temple is a ceremonial centre featuring a pair of 13-foot-tall limestone masks adorned with crocodile headdresses. The High Temple, meanwhile, stands at 108 feet and offers incredible views of the jungle and the New River Lagoon.

Lamanai is one of the largest Mayan sites in Belize, covering an area of 3.5 square miles with more than 700 structures. The site is located on the banks of the New River Lagoon and can be reached by boat from Orange Walk Town. The name "Lamanai" means "submerged crocodile", and the site is known for its beautifully preserved Mayan ceremonial buildings.

Lamanai is also notable for being the longest continually occupied site in Mesoamerica. It was occupied from the Early Preclassic period until and through the colonisation of the area. During the Spanish conquest of Yucatán, the conquistadores established a Roman Catholic church at Lamanai, but a revolt by the native Maya drove them away, and the remains of the church still stand today.

Xunantunich: a Mayan city with 25 temples, palaces, and El Castillo Pyramid

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El Pilar: a large site with over 25 plazas, pyramids, and water reservoirs

El Pilar is a large ancient Mayan city centre located on the Belize-Guatemala border, 12 kilometres north of San Ignacio, Belize. The site is part of the El Pilar Archeological Reserve for Maya Flora and Fauna, a cultural monument in both Belize and Guatemala. The reserve covers 5,000 acres, half in each country, and is jointly managed by the two nations.

The name "El Pilar" is Spanish for "watering basin", reflecting the abundance of streams and water sources around the site. This is a rare feature in the Maya world, as the ancient city of Tikal, for example, had no natural water sources. El Pilar has two local streams, one to the east called El Pilar Creek, and one to the west, El Manantial ("The Spring").

The site is home to more than 25 plazas and hundreds of other major buildings, covering about 120 acres. The monuments of El Pilar are at the centre of the protected area, with 12 large pyramids, temples, water reservoirs, ball courts, and the remains of corbeled tunnels. Many of the buildings reach up to 70 feet in height, including temples and residences built for the Maya elite.

The city was built over the course of 18 centuries, from 800 B.C. to 1000 A.D., and is believed to have been founded approximately 2,800 years ago. At its peak, it is estimated that El Pilar had a population of over 180,000 people. The city shows signs of continued monumental construction following the widespread collapse of Maya civilisation in 900 A.D., and it is believed that the site was eventually abandoned around 1000 A.D.

Caracol: the largest Mayan archaeological site in Belize with the tallest pyramid

Caracol, located in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve in western Belize, is the largest known Mayan archaeological site in the country. It is situated in the foothills of the Maya Mountains, about 25 miles south of the town of San Ignacio. The site was discovered in 1938 and was initially considered a simple Mayan ceremonial centre. However, it was later found to be one of the largest sites in the entire Mayan world.

The central core of Caracol consists of three plaza groups surrounding a central acropolis and two ball courts, along with numerous smaller structures. The site has about 20 major plazas and the Caana Pyramid, also known as the "Sky Palace", which rises to a height of about 140 feet (41-43 metres). It is the tallest Mayan structure in Belize and the tallest man-made structure in the country.

The Caana Pyramid is the largest building at Caracol and contains four palaces and three temples. The palace rooms were originally coated with white stucco and decorated with red paint. Over 100 tombs have been discovered on the site, along with a rich collection of hieroglyphic inscriptions.

Caracol is an impressive site not only because of its size but also due to its advanced agricultural field system and elaborate city planning. The site is still largely unexcavated, leaving much to be discovered and explored.

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