The ruins of Colha, Cuello, Nohmul, Cerros, Sta. Rita Corozal, Lamanai and Altun Ha can all be found in the north of Belize. Further south and near the borders of Guatemala and Mexico lies Las Milpas. Moving south on the Guatamala border, Xunantunich, Cahal Pech and El Pilar can be found. Uxbenka, Nim Li Punit and Lubaatun are located in the very south of Belize.

The Maya occupation of what is now Belize began as early as 2600 B.C. and for a time was the heart of the Maya civilization. Even today, there is a significant Maya population living in small villages throughout the country.

A word of caution for visitors to the ruins of Belize. There are many locations that are very difficult to reach and some can only be reached by boat. The rainy season in Belize can hamper or even ruin trips to different ruins and some are NOT able to be visited during this season. Check with tour agencies before attempting to travel to the ruins of Belize.

ALTUN HA - Altun Ha takes its name from the ancient Maya reservoir that locals call "rock stone pond." But, its name actually m eans "stone water " in Mayan. Altun Ha is located straight east of Lamanai. Altun Ha is thought to have been a commercial trading site between the waters of the Caribbean and the deep interior of the Maya Civilization. The life span of the site is thought to have been 100 B.C. - 1000 A.D.

Within the central portion of the site there are more than 500 structures. The entire city covered some 1.8 square miles and contains around 250 to 300 unexcavated mounds. Population estimates for Altun Ha at its peak are 9,000 to 12,000. The inhabitants of Altun Ha began to erect permanent buildings sometime around 100 A.D. 

These early buildings centered around a natural depression in the ground with an artificial clay lining and a dam at the south end. Other small reservoirs were constructed from quarries. Quarries were modified as catch-basins for rain water.

The major temples are actually not single buildings, but several built on top of each other. Temple of the Green Tomb, shows at least seven constructional phases and some of them are exposed to view. Also, a treasure of over 300 jade objects was found there. In all, seven tombs were found and excavated within the main temple. Of all the tombs, the most striking was the last one discovered which also was the earliest built. 

This tomb dates from 600 A.D. Included among the objects found was a jade mask. It's a mask of Kinich Ahau, The Sun God, standing 6 inches in diameter and weighing in at 10 pounds. It is the biggest jade piece yet discovered in the Maya area.

CAHAL PECH - means "place of Ticks " in Mayan. Cahal Pech was a major Maya ceremonial center located on a tall hill overlooking the town of San Ignacio and lies very close to the ruins of El Pilar and Xunantunich. The name Cahal Pech was given to the site in the 1950's when the entire area was in use as a cattle pasture. 

The site center consists of 34 structures compacted into an area of only 2 acres. The majority of these structures surround seven courtyards and include several temples, two widely separated ball courts, and what is thought to be a sweathouse. The largest structure is 77 feet high with steep steps running up its side. There are a total of 10 mounds within six of the seven courtyard groups. 

The most significant finds at this site included a number of ornate jade objects, obsidian blades, shell and bone ornaments and several pottery vessels. Of special importance was a jade and shell mosaic mask which probably formed the centerpiece of a ceremonial belt worn by the noble buried in the grave. These artifacts can be seen in the National Collection at Belmopan.

Although work at Cahal Pech is still preliminary, you can experience the full range of the archaeological investigations of an ancient Maya city. The site lies within a beautiful jungle environment which supports a variety of tropical plants and birds. It is possible in only a few minutes to walk from the center of a major town in Belize to a world of ancient monuments and natural beauty.

CARACOL - The name Caracol, means "conch shell" or "snail" and comes from the long winding access road which twists and turns much like the spirals on the shell of a snail. Caracol was not the Mayan name for the site. The original name was is still unknown, though the hieroglyph for the site is prominently displayed on many monuments. 

Caracol is located in the Cayo district. It can be very difficult to reach Caracol during the rainy season. The total drive time from the Western Highway is up to 3 hours. It's about a 45 minute drive to Caracol from the Augustine headquarters located in the Mountain Pine Ridge.

"Discovered" in the 1930's and "rediscovered" in the 1950's, Caracol was known to be an important ceremonial center of the Maya. But due to its difficult accessibility it remained alone in jungle until 1985. It is one of the largest sites in all Maya World, the largest in Belize and is special for many reasons. The size of its center, the large architectural constructions, the vast array of monuments and the incredible beauty of the site. 

The center of the site has about 20 major plazas surrounded by temples, the largest of which is known as Caana (meaning "room with a view" in Mayan) which rises 145 feet above the forest floor making it the tallest Maya structure in all of Belize. From the top of Caana, you can see miles of surrounding forest and temples. The central part of the ruins contains a vast array of sacbe's that wind their way throughout the site.

Another great find at Caracol is the discovery of an elaborately carved ball-court marker from the Early Classic Period. The markings on this ball court marker proclaims a military victory over Tikal or possibly refers to the capture of an important person. A victory over the all powerful Tikal puts Caracol way up on the list of important sites.

Caracol was at its peak during the Classic Period and is thought to have declined somewhere around 900 A.D. Due to the size of Caracol and its obvious importance to the culture as a whole, archeologists believe that Caracol has the potential for answering many questions about the Maya.

CERROS- Cerros sprawls over 53 acres atop a hill overlooking Chetumal Bay in northern Belize. Across the bay lies the town of Corozal. Cerros can be reached by a short boat ride from Corozal. Its location provides a beautiful panorama of the surrounding region. The New River empties into the Bay southwest of the ruins. The name cerros mea ns "Hill" in Mayan. 

Because of its location it is believed to have been an important coastal trade town during the late pre-Classic, with a life span of 400 B.C. to 100 A.D. The proximity of the New River provided an important link with the other major Maya sites like Lamanai and supported a sea-borne trade. Some of the most prominent items traded include jade and obsidian.

Its tallest temple rises 65 feet above the plaza floor, and the site includes three large acropolises which dominate several plazas bordered by pyramids. Two of these structures possess walls with large masks. Tombs and ball courts have also been excavated.

Because of Cerros' seaside location erosion has been a problem. The rate of erosion and the lack of funding for preservation has necessitated the covering of much of the artwork and carvings with plaster for preservation making viewing some important items difficult or impossible.

COLHA - means "Water Cabbage " in Mayan. Colhá is a relatively minor site in northern Belize that is distinguished for the stone artifacts made there, especially during the late Classic. It was built on an islet-like piece of land in an otherwise swampy area because of the availability there of rich beds of flint, the raw material used for the manufacture of a variety of instruments. 

Its ceremonial center, hardly more than a pyramid overlooking a ball court, is modest in comparison with its groups of living quarters. Built around courtyards, these homes are located south of that and other once densely occupied zones. Overall, the town had an extension 4.5 square miles. From the amounts of artifacts and scraps found, it would seem that Colhá exported large quantities of flint artifacts to other sites in the Maya region.

CUELLO - The site of Cuello is named for a Rum Distillery which is near the site. Cuello is located on private property about 4 miles southwest of Orange Walk Town. It can be reached by car or taxi and the site actually sits within a cattle pasture and most of it is still overgrown. Although not well developed for visitors, Cuello has proved to be very important to the investigation of the Maya as a civilization. It was here at Cuello that the start date of the Maya was pushed back from 1500 B.C. to around 2600 B.C. 

Cuello is one of the oldest of all Maya sites dating from 2600 B.C.- 1675 A.D. and is the place in which the earliest evidence for different aspects of Maya culture has been found (the earliest obsidian shaving in the Maya region was recovered here). The only explored part of the site is its ceremonial core and residential zone that quartered the ruling elite.

The ceremonial center consists of two side by side plazas. The main temple of each plaza is flanked by civic structures and a small palace. A small pyramid protrudes from the main platform. It is the most recently built structure at the site and dates from 300-400 A.D. The oldest building was erected some 2,200 years before Christ, making Cuello one of the most ancient sites in the Maya area. Two underground storage chambers called chultuns, lie within the platform of this ceremonial center.

LAMANAI - Lamanai means "submerged crocodile" in Mayan and crocodile representations can be found throughout this site. The ruins lie along the lagoon of the New River, within the tropical rain forest, and can be reached by chartered boat. The ruins cover an area of 3.6 square miles in which more than 718 structures have been identified. 

Lamanai was earliest and one of the longest occupied Maya cities probably due to its location on the New River. The life span of Lamanai is thought to be 800 B.C.- 1675 A.D.

This site features monumental architecture of temples and palaces, one of which is over 100 feet high. The central area of the site covers approximately half a square mile. Pollen evidence dates the earliest occupation at the site to be about 1500 B.C., however, the earliest pottery has been dated to about 500 B.C. The massive main temple is the largest Preclassic structure known in all of the Maya world. 

It too had been heavily modified several times. One of the oddities of Lamanai is that only a single dated stelae has been recovered. This is unusual because sites in Belize, in general, are very much known for the quality and abundance of stelae. The site of Lubaantún in the very south of Belize also shows no stelae.

Since Lamanai lies along the shores of the beautiful New River lagoon the waters are perfect for swimming and water sports. There is an abundance of wildlife in the park with families of howler monkeys living there and the marsh lands around the lagoon support many species of water birds. There is also an on-site museum which contains original artifacts in good condition.

LAS MILPAS - Means "The Corn Fields" in Mayan. Las Milpas is located in the Rio Bravo Conservation Area in northwestern Belize. The site is composed of more than 24 courtyards and over 85 structures and is the third largest Maya site in Belize. The center of this site was first recorded in the 1930's during a general survey of archaeological sites in the region.

The Great Plaza at Las Milpas is one of the largest in the Maya world. Some of the tallest temples, rising to upwards of 66 feet, are found surrounding this plaza. Classic Period stelae can be found here. Beyond the Great Plaza lie other plazas, pyramids and buildings, which gradually merge into the surrounding jungle. The southern part of the site is contains a secluded acropolis with interior courts. The main buildings are from the Classic period. 

No evidence of Postclassic building or stelae have been found. This suggests that Las Milpas fell into decline at the same time as many of its neighbors. Elsewhere in the site there are numerous dwellings from simple house-mounds to large elite palaces. The largest palace is called Dos Hombres. Over 60 sites have been located in the area. There is evidence of advanced agricultural techniques with terracing and water management systems. The Maya cultivated even the slopes of the region.

The Early and Middle Classic Period was followed by a sudden collapse in the early 9th century. Most of Las Milpas returned to forest after the collapse. A Yucatec long house in the main plaza indicates the occupation of the site by an entirely different Maya culture after the collapse. 

Today much of the area remains covered by tall tropical forests. Wildlife abounds. Troops of howler monkeys are often heard in the surrounding forests, and a rich bird fauna has been recorded. This region of Belize is loaded with Jaguars.