Today's Belize was part of the Mayan Empire, which spread over the Yucatan Peninsula, with cities that sometimes contained more than 100,00 people. Today, the ruins of these cities can be visited in Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize. In Belize alone, more than 600 Mayan sites have been identified and mapped, although only a small minority have been reclaimed from the jungle.
Background of Belize's Mayan Archaeological Sites and Ruins
Beginning around 2000 B.C., the Mayan civilization rose to its peak between 300 – 900 AD, and included many different kingdoms spread over and near the Yucatan. The combination of fertile farmlands and rich marine resources led to settlement in large cities such as Belize's Caracol, Xunantunich, Altun Ha, and Lamanai, all of which have been at least partially restored. Some of these sites are thought to have once contained thousands of structures.
Today's visitors can see dozens, sometimes scores, of buildings and monuments that have been restored or reclaimed from their jungle cover, including pyramids, temples, ball courts, plazas, and courtyards. Much more is still hidden under the fast growing jungle vegetation. Belize's caves, too, which were sacred to the Mayans as a conduit between this world and the underworld, have been found to contain carvings and other artifacts as well as the skeletons of sacrificial victims, and Belize travel tour operators lead tours to them, as well..
The majority of Belize's Mayan sites are found in Cayo District, located west of Belize City, where most international travelers arrive. It takes about an hour and a half to drive from Belize City to the center of Cayo District. From there, visitors have a choice of several sites, and can also cross into Guatemala to see Tikal, one of the most important and best known of all the Mayan cities.
Belize's Top Mayan Ruins and Archaeological Sites
Belize's Mayan sites range from small, barely excavated sites to huge complexes of scores of restored buildings. Here are some of the highlights:
- Xunantunich is considered one of Belize's most impressive sites, with 25 buildings, a museum, and Belize's second tallest Mayan structure. It is conveniently located near a main highway. Get there early in the day to avoid sharing it with large cruise ship groups.
- Altun Ha is a large complex containing some 500 identified structures. It is only 34 miles from Belize City.
- Cahal Pech (the words unattractively translates to "Place of Ticks") is another conveniently located site, just a a 20 minute walk from San Ignacio in Cayo District.
- Located just south of San Ignacio on the Vaca Plateau highlands is Caracol, one of the largest sites from the entire Mayan world. It is thought to contain more than 30,000 structures, and once housed as many as 150,000 people. Although considered one of Belize's most magnificent sites, Caracol has not been as fully restored as other sites because it was completely covered by jungle for 1,000 years until being rediscovered in 1937. It contains the tallest structure in both ancient and modern Belize, the 137-foot "Sky Palace."
- It takes a 30-mile boat ride up the New River to get to Lamanai, a Mayan city inland on the New River. The trip is well worth the time, with scores of species of birds to be observed along the route. Lamanai means "submerged crocodile," and indeed, more than 1000 crocodiles are thought to inhabit the marshes surrounding the fresh-water lagoon where Lamanai is located. The 950- acre site contains some 700 structures, of which only about 70 have been excavated.
- Lubaantun, also called the "Place of the Fallen Stones" is located near Punta Gorda in the south of Belize. Inhabited for only about 150 years toward the end of the first millennium, it may have been an administrative center rather than an inhabited city. The most famous artifact of the Mayan world was found here, a skull carved from a single piece of quartz crystal. An unusual feature is that the buildings are built with no mortar, with rocks carved so precisely that they fit together like puzzle pieces.
There are many other ruins throughout Belize, spread throughout the entire country, from Punta Gorda in the south to Corozal near the Mexican border. So no matter where a visitor stays, a tour of Mayan ruins can be worked into a Belize adventure travel tour.
For more on Belize travel, please see Belize Travel Resources.
Karen Berger - Karen Berger is the author of 15 books. Please click on her name to read her full bio.
