Belize's Ancient Secrets: Unveiling The Age Of Mayan Ruins

Belize is home to over 600 ancient Mayan sites, with the earliest settlements dating back to 2000 BCE. The Maya were a powerful civilisation that originated in the Yucatan around 2600 BCE and came to full power around 250 CE. They lived in an area that stretched from Central Mexico to El Salvador, including Belize. The ancient Maya were known for their advanced knowledge of astronomy and for constructing large cities containing pyramids and other structures. Their civilisation came to a mysterious end around 900 CE, but the remains of their once-grand ruins can be found scattered throughout Belize.

The Caracol Mayan Ruins

Caracol is the largest Mayan archaeological site in Belize, covering an area of 200 square kilometres (or 55 square miles including its outlying regions). The central core area is about 1 square mile. The site was first reported in 1938 by a native logger named Rosa Mai, who came across its remains while searching for mahogany trees. Mai reported the site to the archaeological commission for British Honduras (now Belize).

The site was inhabited from around 1200 BC, with occupation in the epicentral area beginning no earlier than 650 BC and lasting until around 950 AD. Caracol was founded in 331 AD by Te' K'ab Chaak, and was one of the great city/states during the Classic Period (200-900 AD). It was a powerful regional political centre, with a population of over 100,000 people (some sources state this figure was as high as 180,000). The city's urban area had a radius of around 10 kilometres, with an immense agricultural field system and elaborate city planning.

Caracol is particularly known for its role in warfare. In 562 AD, Caracol's ruler Yajaw Te' K'inich II (Lord Water) defeated Tikal in what is known as the first 'star war'. In 631 AD, Caracol conquered Naranjo. Caracol's power began to wane in the 7th century, and the site was abandoned by the middle of the 11th century.

The largest temple at Caracol is the Caana or 'Sky Place', which is the tallest manmade structure in Belize. Caana contains four palaces and three temples, and rises over 140 feet above the jungle floor. More than 100 tombs have been found on the site, along with a rich array of hieroglyphic inscriptions.

Caracol is one of the most well-preserved Mayan sites in Belize, and is known for its impressive agricultural field system and city planning.

The Lamanai Mayan Ruins

The site's name, Lamanai, means 'submerged crocodile' in Yucatec Maya, a nod to the crocodiles living along the banks of the nearby New River. The name was first recorded by early Spanish missionaries and documented over a millennium earlier in Maya inscriptions as Lam'an'ain.

Lamanai is unique among Classic-period sites in the southern Maya lowlands as it was not abandoned at the end of the 10th century AD. The site became prominent in the Pre-Classic Period, from the 4th century BC to the 1st century AD, and continued to be occupied until the Spanish conquest of Yucatán drove out the Spanish friars who had established two Roman Catholic churches there.

The site also features a ball court, where a significant discovery of a lidded bowl containing mercury, jade, shell, and other objects was made. Stela 9, a finely carved stele discovered at the site, commemorates a tun ending event of the ruler Smoking Shell in 625 CE.

Lamanai is accessible by boat from Orange Walk Town or by dirt road through the Mennonite area of Shipyard. The journey to the site is an adventure in itself, offering the opportunity to spot wildlife such as spider monkeys, howler monkeys, crocodiles, and various bird species. A small museum at the site exhibits local artefacts and provides historical information.

The Xunantunich Mayan Ruins

Xunantunich is situated atop a ridge overlooking the Mopan River, just one kilometre from the Guatemala border. The site is nestled within a tropical forest preserve and spans approximately three square miles, with the core area covering about one square mile. The centre of Xunantunich consists of six plazas surrounded by over 26 temples and palaces, constructed from limestone rock.

Xunantunich's history dates back to the Preclassic period, with evidence of early settlement around 600-300 BC. However, it was during the Samal phase (AD 600-670) that the site began to flourish, and by AD 700-800, it had become a prominent Maya civic and ceremonial centre. The city reached its peak around AD 800, with a population of nearly 200,000 people in the Belize Valley.

One of the most notable structures at Xunantunich is "El Castillo", a 40-metre-tall pyramid that served as the axis mundi of the site. El Castillo is adorned with intricate stucco friezes depicting astronomical symbols, the sun god, the moon, and Venus. The pyramid consists of multiple construction phases, with the earliest dating back to around 400 BC.

Xunantunich was first explored in the 1890s by Thomas Gann, a British medical officer and district commissioner. Subsequent excavations by archaeologists like Euan MacKie in the late 1950s and early 1960s revealed more about the site's history and its connections to other Mayan centres, such as Naranjo.

Today, Xunantunich stands as a testament to the Maya civilisation's splendour and sophistication. Visitors can explore the site, climb the pyramids, and imagine the bustling activity that once characterised this ancient city.

The Actun Tunichil Muknal Mayan Ruins

The journey to the cave involves an hour's ride from San Ignacio and a walk for another hour across shallow rivers and through the jungle. The only way to enter the cave is by swimming in and then wading up the cave river for another kilometre. Walking a further kilometre and a half in the cave, past huge boulders and cavernous rooms, you will find the skeletons of the ritual sacrifices made by the Maya to their gods more than a thousand years ago.

The ceramics at the site are significant because they are marked with "kill holes", indicating that they were used for ceremonial purposes. The Mayans also modified cave formations, creating altars for offerings, silhouettes of faces and animals, and projections of shadows.

The most famous skeleton in the cave is the "Crystal Maiden", the skeleton of a 17-year-old boy, possibly a sacrifice victim, whose bones have been calcified to a sparkling, crystallised appearance. The cave is also home to a variety of animals, including bats, large freshwater crabs, crayfish, catfish, and other tropical fish.

The Altun Ha Mayan Ruins

Altun Ha was first settled around 250 BC, or perhaps a few centuries earlier, and was inhabited until about AD 1000. During this time, it served as a major Maya culture ceremonial centre and a central trading link between the Caribbean coast and Maya centres in the interior.

The site features two main plazas and 13 structures, including the Temple of Masonry Altars, which stands at a height of 16 or 17 metres. Altun Ha is unique among Mayan sites due to the absence of carved stelae. However, its most notable artifact is a large jade carving of the Maya sun god, Kinich Ahau, which is the largest jade artifact known from any Maya area. The jade head, weighing almost 10 pounds and standing at a height of 14.9 cm, is considered the crown jewel of Belize and is usually kept in the country's central bank.

Altun Ha is accessible for tourism and is a one-hour drive from Belize City. Visitors can climb the temples and explore the surrounding wildlife area, home to various species of birds, as well as bats, foxes, white-tail deer, tapir, and armadillos.

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