Belize, which in Central America borders the Caribbean Sea, Guatemala and Mexico, is home to dozens of important Maya sites, including Cahal Pech, Caracol and Colha.
Build a Maya Temple and Someday Your Ancestors Will Be Grateful for the Tourist Revenue
What were your ancestors doing or achieving between 2600 BC to 300 AD? In the tiny nation known today as Belize, its ancestors, far more numerous then, were busy erecting great Maya temples.
While Belize may be a small, easily overlooked speck of a country at first glance-- a little like a newly hatched chick among full-grown hens-- it also happens to have been, at least for a time, the centre of the Maya civilisation.
Some Details, Please, Mr Long-Winded Writer. Where Are the Promised Maya Sites in Belize?
For readers who like their Maya ruins located in former cattle pastures, try Cahal Pech, which means "place of ticks" in Mayan. Cahal Pech lies just a cow patty's throw from the ruins of El Pilar and Xunantunich.
The ancestors of 1950's college students crammed into phone booths must have come from Cahal Pech, because the area features 34 structures stuffed into just two square acres. The area includes several temples, ten mounds, seven courtyards, two ball courts and one very dense surrounding jungle.
All Reports Show That the Cow Dung Has Been Removed from Cahal Pech, but Some Doubters May Remain. Why Not Try Caracol Instead.
Let's say you have a phobia or simply don't like the thought of visiting an area formerly populated by a great quantity of cow dung. Caracol may be more to your liking then. The name means "conch shell" or "snail."
This site is well named because there is a road leading to Caracol which winds like the spirals on a snail's shell.
Caracol was apparently discovered in the 1930's after being lost for thousands of years. Then somebody either lost it again or simply forgot or ignored it until the 1950's when it was rediscovered.
Caracol was an important ceremonial centre and, with its vast big-shot array of monuments, is the largest Maya site in Belize and one of the largest in the world.
I'm Very Fond of Cabbage. Are There Any Sites Named After This Vegetable?
Indeed there is. You're in luck. Colha, which means "water cabbage," was built in the middle of a swamp on an islet-like stretch of land.
Colha has a ceremonial centre that overlooks a ball court, and is noted for its stone artifacts produced there. Living quarters and courtyards can also be found in Colha.
There are no reports of any cow patties in the area.
