Explore The Fascinating Mayan Ruins Of Belize

The Mayan ruins of Belize are extremely rich. For this reason, they have become one of the main reasons for the arrival of tourists to this Central American country. The ways of life of our ancestors always attract attention, and those places that millennia ago were the cradle of civilizations today are great tourist attractions.

The Mayan culture is one of the most studied in history. Its cities began to be established around the 8th century BC. C. and they had a great splendor until the IX century d. Thus, places like the Mayan ruins of Belize give us the possibility of knowing what was once one of the most important civilizations in America.

Why go see the Mayan ruins of Belize

Visiting the places that centuries ago were the scene of the development of an important culture is a unique sensation. In this way, the Mayan ruins of Belize will make us travel to a time when about a million people lived here in the so-called “classical period”.

Of that splendor there are countless remains in the country, about a thousand. Some of them have survived to this day in a good state of conservation, despite the fact that most of the Mayan cities were abandoned even long before the arrival of the Spanish.

Of course, of all the Mayan remains scattered around the country, only a few can be visited. In any case, they are magnificent examples of what were the settlements of the Mayan civilization.

The most outstanding ruins

As we said, the Mayan ruins of Belize are spread throughout the country. There are at least thirty archaeological points that you can visit. We are going to mention just a few of them.

Lamanai

These ruins are located in the Orange Walk district. In fact, they are highly recommended for the natural environment in which they are located. In addition, some of its buildings are in very good condition.

The Lamanai boom occurred, above all, between the 4th centuries BC. C. and I a. C., although the area was occupied many centuries later. In fact, after the conquest period, the settlers created a Catholic church, but the Mayans defended the area and the Spanish ended up abandoning this place.

Archaeologists have been working on the Mayan ruins of Belize located in Lamanai for almost 50 years, and in that time they have managed to restore the most important parts. You cannot miss the three temples:  that of the Masks, that of the Jaguar Masks and the High Temple.

Apart from the ruins themselves, along the way you will find many other things to see. The trip has to be done by boat. Thus you will discover incredible landscapes of the jungle that surrounds it.

The snail

This is the name of an area whose political importance was maximum during the heyday of the Mayan civilization. It is also , possibly, the most important deposit that is conserved in the country. And it is also the largest.

Here you will see a great pyramid that reaches 140 meters in height. The most surprising thing is its state of conservation and that of its entire environment. During your visit, you will believe that you have traveled in time, because on the way there you will have to cross areas where the presence of modern life is nil.

Other archaeological sites

The Mayan ruins of Belize are everywhere, and it is difficult to talk about them all. But we also want to mention those of Cahal Pech, which are located in the city of San Ignacio, in the Cayo district, like El Caracol.

This place was the seat of the Mayan civilization until the 9th century, and was owned by an important family. It does not have a large construction like El Caracol or impressive temples like those of Lamanai, but you can see up to 34 different structures that are still preserved.

In this place it is also possible to visit an interesting museum. In it you will be able to know everything that is known about these ruins thanks to the work of archaeologists since the late 70s.