Mayan Ruins of Belize

From A.D. 250 to 900 the Maya thrived and perfected some of the most elaborate mathematics, astrology, architecture, and writing systems in the entire world. During their rule they built massive temples and pyramids all throughout Central America. Surprisingly, after flourishing for nearly 700 years, the Maya mysteriously disappeared. What is even more surprising is how little we actually know about their culture. One of the reasons we know so little is because the lack of preserved artifacts. It has been estimated that what's preserved is less than 1% pf what was there in a tropical climate. At least part of the reason for this is because of the intense looting that has taken place over the recent years. We do know the Maya used many precious stones and metals in important ceremonies and everyday life. For example, many Maya filed their teeth to a T shape and inlaid them with small, round plaques of jade or pyrite. Gold and silver were also used to inlay many decorations, but jade was considered one of the most precious stones.

There were three main periods during the Mayan Civilization history: Pre-classic, Classic, and Post-classic. During the Pre-classic period the growth of settlements and farming had begun to rise. The tribes ceased being nomadic and began to settle down and form villages. Also, new inventions began to surface. Various types of pottery, for food and water storage/transportation, more tools for farming and hunting, and new types of cooking developed. Today, much of what archaeologists know about the Pre-classic period comes from the Mayan site, Cuello, in the Orange Walk District. We also know that during this time, the Mayan corn crops transformed significantly, from being a small, cobbed, low yielding crop to a large cobbed, high producing crop. This shows us the Mayans learned how to maximize their agriculture and spread their knowledge to each generation.

One of the most important Pre-classic sites is called Lamanai. It is one of Belize's largest ceremonial temples. The name Lamanai means "submerged crocodile" in Mayan, which is probably why various images of crocodiles can be found throughout the site. Important facts about Lamanai:

The central area of the site covers approximately half a square mile. If you include the residential and surrounding structures they cover more than 950 acres.

There are more than 700 known temples within Lamanai, only 60 of which have been examined (of those only 6 are open to the public) The massive main temple is the largest Pre-classic structure known. Ancient pollen samples date the earliest inhabitants of the site around 1500 B.C. Some of the earliest pottery samples date back to 500 B.C. Lamanai is also known for the remains of two 16th century Christian churches and one 19th century sugar mill. Perhaps because of the numerous groups of peoples that have inhabited the area of Lamanai, artifacts are nearly ubiquitous and consist of everything ranging from stone, wood, bone, shell, jade, gold, glass, and iron to even liquid mercury!

The Classic Period is considered to be the Mayan Golden Age. It is marked by ornate decorations and brightly colored architecture. During this period there were giant breakthroughs in astronomy and mathematics, which help define their civilization even today. Their complex writing system and intricately accurate calendar were both developed during this time span. These brilliant farmers augmented their diet of numerous types of vegetables and nuts with animal protein. Their main source of meat came from hunting local animals (like the abundant white tailed deer), and wild pigs.

Xunantunich is one of the grandest examples of the quality of craftsmanship the Mayans exhibited at the peak of their reign. It is the largest pyramid/temple rising more than 250 feet above the river valley below. Its name means "stone woman" in Mayan. It is easily identifiable because of its size and hieroglyphics (or frieze) on both sides, which is a band of stucco decoration, which at one time extended around the entire temple. Archaeologists have been slow to examine and restore the worn frieze because of the unconventional and destructive techniques of blasting dynamite that were originally used when excavating this site many years ago. It appears as though the elements on the frieze are faces and depictions of many gods, including the Mayan sun god, who were very important spiritually to the Mayans. The Mayans also used many of their temples for human sacrifice and "blood letting", a purifying ritual conducted by men of authority to make them clean so they could receive messages from the gods. Many wars were fought because of alleged messages told from gods. This a possible reason for disappearance of the Mayan civilization.

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Xunantunich Writings	Xunantunich (side view)
Xunantunich from front courtyard	Xunantunich from the top
Group shot at Xunantunich	Another temple at Lamanai
Jungle at Lamanai	Mayan head (Crocodile Mask)