Belize: Maya Heartland

Belize, a country in Central America, is considered part of the southern Maya lowlands of the Mesoamerican culture area. The Maya civilisation spread into the area of Belize between 1500 BC and AD 300 and flourished until about 1200.

The Maya civilisation has permanently marked the landscape of Belize, with sites such as Caracol, Lamanai, and Cerros. Belize is also home to three Mayan languages: Q'eqchi', Mopan, and Yucatec Maya.

The Maya civilisation spread to Belize between 1500 BC and 300 AD

The Maya civilisation is thought to have originated in the Yucatán around 2600 BC, with the Maya people migrating to the Yucatán Peninsula from southern Central America and South America. By 1500 BC, the Maya had spread to Belize, with the earliest examples of Maya pottery and art dating from this time.

During the Middle Preclassic Maya period (900-300 BC), the Maya civilisation continued to grow and expand its trade networks. By 800 BC, the Maya of the Guatemala Highlands controlled the trade routes for jade and obsidian, and by 600 BC, they were producing and trading cacao.

The Maya civilisation flourished in Belize during the Late Preclassic Maya period (300 BC- AD 300). During this time, trade routes expanded, and the Maya made advances in agriculture, particularly in the cultivation of corn, and the construction of pyramids and urban centres.

The Classic period of the Maya civilisation (250 to 900 AD) saw further intellectual, artistic, and political development, with the establishment of remarkable city-states such as Tikal, Caracol, Palenque, and Altun Ha. The Maya also made significant innovations in medicine and the sciences, including mathematics and astronomy.

The Maya civilisation in Belize was characterised by its sophisticated agricultural practices, water systems, and food storage. They constructed large metropolises with temples, broad causeways, and open-air plazas, which also served as important trade centres.

The Maya society was structured with a hierarchy of priests, elites, artisans, and farmers, and was governed by a royal family, known as the Kuhul Ajaw, who served as intermediaries between the gods and the people.

The Maya civilisation in Belize continued to flourish until its decline around 900 AD, when the southern Maya abandoned their cities for reasons that remain largely unknown.

The ancient Maya used the Belize River as a super highway to transport goods

Belize, once the heartland of the ancient Maya Empire, is considered part of the southern Maya lowlands of the Mesoamerican culture area. The ancient Maya civilisation, which stretched north to Yucatan, west to Guatemala and El Salvador, and south to Honduras, used the Belize River as a "super highway" to transport goods throughout the country and connect with the big city-states in Guatemala. The powerful city-states of Belize traded with settlements further inland, such as Tikal.

The ancient Maya civilisation, which supported vast agricultural farmlands and trading centres, lasted for well over 2,000 years. The Maya Empire evolved around 350 B.C. in the tropical lowlands of Belize and northern Guatemala and reached its peak from 250 A.D. to 900 A.D. The arrival of the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century marked the beginning of the end of the Maya civilisation, which had already started to decline, perhaps due to war, famine, or the breakdown of government structures. By the time the Europeans arrived on the continent, the Maya civilisation was almost completely gone.

Belize's pleasant weather, rich soils, and abundance of marine life in the rivers, estuaries, and offshore Belize Barrier Reef fuelled a population explosion during the time of the ancient Maya. Large cities were built that housed hundreds of thousands of people. The ancient Maya built sacred temples, pyramids, advanced scientific achievements, palaces, and other awesome structures. They achieved all of this without the use of iron or the wheel.

Today, many ethnic Maya continue to live in Belize, particularly in the southern parts of the country. The country is home to numerous well-preserved Maya ruins, such as Caracol, Xunantunich, Lamanai, Nim Li Punit, and Altun Ha, which attract tourists from all over the world.

The Maya civilisation began to break apart for unknown reasons between 600 and 900 AD

Belize was once the heartland of the ancient Maya Empire. The Maya civilisation began to break apart for unknown reasons between 600 and 900 AD, leaving its once-mighty cities to be swallowed up by the jungle. By the time the Europeans arrived on the continent, the Maya civilisation was almost completely gone.

The Maya civilisation consisted of numerous small states, each centred around a city. While these city-states shared similarities in culture and religion, they each had their own local leaders, some more powerful than others. There was no single collapse for these polities; rather, a number of Maya cities rose and fell at different times.

The decline of the Maya civilisation is often attributed to a mix of political and environmental problems. For example, Tikal in what is now Guatemala declined in the eighth and ninth centuries due to environmental problems and political turmoil, while populations rose in other areas, such as Chichén Itzá on what is now the Mexican Yucatán Peninsula.

One theory suggests that the Maya civilisation's decline was caused by a lengthy drought during the 11th century. Analysis of speleothems, or rock structures in caves, shows that several severe multi-year droughts struck between 800 and 930 in the southern Mesoamerica region. This would have caused water levels to drop, crops to fail, and made it harder to trade goods.

Another factor that may have contributed to the decline of the Maya civilisation is warfare. Constant warfare among competing city-states may have led to the breakdown of the complicated military, family, and trade alliances between them, along with the traditional system of dynastic power.

Additionally, overpopulation and overuse of the land may have played a role in the downfall of the Maya civilisation. By the time the Spanish invaders arrived, most Maya were living in agricultural villages, and their great cities were hidden under a layer of verdant rainforest.

The Caracol site in Belize was once home to more than 140,000 people

Belize is considered part of the southern Maya lowlands of the Mesoamerican culture area. The land that is now Belize was once the heartland of the ancient Maya Empire. The Caracol site in Belize is the largest Maya archaeological site in Belize and Central America. It is located in the foothills of the Maya Mountains, within the Chiquibul Forest Reserve in western Belize, near the border with Guatemala. The site was discovered in 1938 by a logger named Rosa Mai, who came across its remains in 1937.

Caracol was the centre of one of the largest Maya kingdoms and today contains the extant remains of thousands of structures. The city was an important player in the Classic period political struggles of the southern Maya lowlands, and is known for defeating and subjugating Tikal. Caracol is noted not only for its size during the Maya Classic era (AD 250-950) but also for its prowess in war.

The Caracol site covers an area of nearly 25,000 acres and is impressive not only for its size but also for its immense agricultural field system and elaborate city planning. The site was once home to more than 140,000 people, with an estimated population of over 100,000 and settlement focused along the many radiating causeways. The invention of LIDAR helped discover the increase in population as it was able to detect more living areas. Caracol's population may have peaked between 120,000 and 180,000.

The Caracol area was occupied as early as 1200 BC, yet occupation in the epicentral area was no earlier than 650 BC and lasted no later than AD 950. Caracol has 53 carved stone monuments (25 stelae and 28 altars), and more than 250 burials and 200 caches. The site has been under excavation since 1985, led by Arlen and Diane Chase of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The Maya civilisation is known for its advanced agriculture, astronomy, mathematics and architecture

The Maya civilisation is known for its advanced systems of agriculture, astronomy, mathematics and architecture.

Agriculture

The Maya were skilled agriculturalists, cultivating crops such as maize, beans, squash and cassava (manioc). They practised a primitive form of "slash-and-burn" agriculture, but also displayed evidence of more advanced farming methods, such as irrigation and terracing. They lived in a region where annual rainfall was unpredictable, so astronomy was critical in foreshadowing the turning of the seasons and the expectations of the harvest.

Astronomy

The Maya developed some of the most accurate pre-telescope astronomy in the world. They had a fully developed writing system and a positional numeral system, both of which are indigenous to Mesoamerica. Their estimate of the length of the synodic month was more accurate than Ptolemy's, and their calculation of the length of the tropical solar year was more accurate than that of the Spanish when they first arrived. The Maya also built many temples with features oriented to celestial events. They were aware of the solstices and equinoxes, and many structures were built to observe the zenithal passage of the sun.

Mathematics

The Maya were among the few ancient civilisations to devise an advanced numbering system and a concept of zero. This enabled them to have an elaborate mathematical system, which they chiefly used to observe astronomical bodies and maintain records of their movements. They also used mathematics to create an exceptionally accurate calendar. They made use of a well-formulated base-20 numbering system when recording larger computations.

Architecture

The Maya built many impressive structures, including plazas, palaces, temples and pyramids, as well as courts for playing the famous Maya ball game ulama. Their architecture was often oriented in line with astronomical paths and events. They also built observatories to monitor celestial movements and estimate the coming of the rainy season and other natural events.

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