LUBAATUN - Lubaantún is located in the very south of Belize and is only 6 miles from Nim Li Punit. Its name means "place of fallen stones" in Mayan. Probably named because of its dry masonry style of architecture. There is now much debate over whether Lubaatún was a site or part of Nim Li Punit. The debate is over stelae. Nim Li Punit has way to many and Lubaatún has none. One reasonable explanation for this is that perhaps Nim Li Punit was the ceremonial center and Lubaatún was the commercial center.

Aside from the stelae here are other reasons for this thinking. 1) Lubaatún had a very short lifespan from 730 A.D. to 890 A.D. 2) Pyramids at Lubaantun are man-made stone platforms on top of which stood perishable buildings. 3) Pyramids and temples are constructed of dressed stone without any mortar and carvings are lacking. Whatever the reason we know that Lubaatún became a commercial success and was a major marketplace in its time. It was a focal point for trade as goods would be brought to the center and then redistributed. The main marketplace was located in Lubaantún's ceremonial enclosure and the town's own contribution to the regional trade system was its clay figurines.

The largest structure at Lubaantún rises 36 feet above the plaza floor. From the summit of this structure there is a beautiful view of the foothills of the Maya Mountains and the Toledo coastal plains. The center of the site lies along a ridge top twenty miles from the sea. In contrast to other sites, the Maya of Lubaantún took to shaping the ridges and slopes of the hilltop rather then leveling it off. The ceremonial center of this site has 11 major structures grouped around five main plazas.

MARCO GONZALEZ - The Marco Gonzalez site may be the largest ruin on Ambergris Caye. The site lies two miles south of the town of San Pedro, it covers an area of about 500 meters by 150 meters and 60 constructions. There is a central plaza and several small courtyard groupings. The site is considered to be early Classic with occupation until the late Classic and during the Post Classic Marco Gonzalez underwent large scale expansion. The bulk of the ruins were constructed during this post classic era.

NIM LI PUNIT - means "big hat" in Mayan. Today, Nim Li Punit over looks milpas, jungle and the Toledo coastal plain near the village of Indian Creek. The site is about a fifteen minute walk from the road and is situated along the top of a ridge in the foothills of the Maya Mountains. There is ample evidence that this site was only occupied during the very late classic period. Nim Li Punit consists of a main plaza bordered on three sides by moderately sized buildings, except on the west side where there is a pyramid. To the north and at a lower level, is a ball court.

The ruins of Nim Li Punit were not discovered until 1976. And archaeological restoration did not begin until the early 1980's. A royal tomb was discovered in the mid 80's which yielded pottery and many other artifacts, however, much more work needs to be done at the site. Nim Li Punit is short on architectural masterpieces like other Maya sites, but is special for the large number of stelae found at this site. These are large, sometimes huge, stone slabs or pillars. Twenty five stelae, eight of which are carved, were found there. One remains the tallest carved stela in Belize. Nim Li Punit is much too small to have so many stelae and its neighbor, Lubaantún, has none. So, since the two sites are neighbors it has been suggested that Lubauntún was the economic and political capital of the region, while Nim Li Punit served as the worshipping place of its ruling dynasty.

NOHMUL - Nohmul means 'Great Mound' in Mayan. Nohmul is spread out among privately owned sugar cane fields 7 miles north of Orange Walk Town in northern Belize. The site occupies about 12 square miles of land. Nohmul was occupied first during the Pre-Classic era from 350 B.C. to A.D. 250 and again during the Late Classical period from 600 to 900 A.D.

The ceremonial center is located on a limestone ridge and contains a massive acropolis atop which sits a pyramid. The main site also consists of two groups of buildings with ten plazas. These are connected by sacbes. Combined, these complexes house more than 81 separate buildings. Most of them were constructed either in the pre Classic or Classic period, although there is evidence of additional building activity in the early post Classic.

Built at a vantage point on the Hondo River to control the region's trade routes, the site had a long life. Structures of the northern Yucatán type were built over those erected in the Classic. Some of these new constructions covered the front of older stairways. These newer constructions include one that resembles the Caracol in Chichén Itzá. These later constructions support the theory that outsiders from the Yucatan settled in Nohmul.

PACBITUM - Means "Stones Set in the Earth" in Mayan. It is located just two miles to the east of San Antonio on private land and is the most southern of the Belize River sites. Archaeological evidence shows Pacbitum to be one of the oldest Preclassic Maya sites. The site contains nearly 30 constructions of temples and pyramids and several stalae. One of the interesting part of the ruins at Pacbitum is an irrigation system which was built above the ground. The ruins have also produced precious Maya art and rare musical instruments have also been found.

SANTA RITA COROZAL - The site of Santa Rita is located in the City of Corozol. It is reachable by car or taxi. Due to its location some archaeologists believe that Santa Rita was probably the ancient and important Maya city of Chetumal. From this location the city held control of the trade routes along the coast during the early Classic period. They also could control the entrances to the Rio Hondo and New River which were major arteries of trade to Lamanai and the Peten Region. Archaeologists have identified strong trade links with major centers deep within the interior.

The ruins at Santa Rita have long suffered the wrath of urban growth due to the expansion of the City of Corozol. The ruins made very convenient road fill and the stones were excellent for house foundations. The exact borders of the ancient Maya city are unknown. Though exhibiting a long occupational history, Santa Rita was mainly an important Postclassic site which was occupied even when the Spanish arrived. The formation of the city dates to around 2000 B.C. This date was established through the discovery of a burial site containing very early pottery. The only existing structure at the ruin dates from the Classic Period. This building is a complex series of rooms and passages. The central room appeared to be some sort of ceremonial chamber where offerings were made. Two burial chambers were uncovered here, one containing elaborate jewelry and pottery. The second burial chamber contained a ceremonial flint and a stingray spine used in bloodletting rituals. The Postclassic Period at Santa Rita, the Period to which the importance of this site is normally attached, is revealed through artifacts rather than structures. Because very little remains of the structures of this time period.

The artifacts found at Santa Rita from the Postclassic Period reveal that exotic rituals such as blood-letting, so important during the Classic Period, continued to play an important religious role. The presence of turquoise and gold ear-flakes of Aztec origin, which also date from the Postclassic Period, attests to the importance of Santa Rita several hundred years after the decline of the major ceremonial centers of the interior. After a short decline during the Late Classic Period, Santa Rita once again rose to prominence. With the decline of Classic sites to the north, Santa Rita became one of the 19 Mayan political entities as recorded by the invading Spanish. At that time it was called "Chactemal", corresponding to the present day Chetumal.

XUNANTUNICH - Xunantunich means "Maiden of the Rock" in Mayan. It is located about 120 kilometers from Belice City near the Maya village of San Jose Succotz. To get to the ruins you need to take a ferry, with your car, across the Mopan River. The ruins of Cahal Pech and El Pilar are both located very near Xunantunich. There is written evidence suggesting that the city was once called Benque Viejo. The ruins are situated on the border of Guatemala near a dense concentration of Maya sites. Xunantunich lies almost straight east of Tikal and may in fact have been a fairly important provincial center, perhaps a regional capital. There is a fine astronomical carved frieze on the main palace building.

Xunantunich has three adjoining plazas surrounded by some 20 structures. The Castle, is the site's largest and highest (133 feet) ruin and it is also the second tallest in all of Belize. This main temple is visible from all parts of the valley today. On its east side there are well preserved remains of a stuccoed frieze containing a number of sun god masks, this decoration at one time extended around the entire temple. The center is composed of six major plazas surrounded by more than 25 temples and palaces.

Data from the numerous excavations at this site reveal that Xunantunich was a thriving city near the end of the Classic Period and very close in time to the collapse of the entire Maya Civilization. This is intriguing because the colossal city of Tikal, just to the west, was already abandoned at this time. Restricted in space probably due to being placed on the hilltop, the center of Xunantunich occupies an area less than a square kilometer. The elite and middle working class residential structures spread only a few kilometers into the surrounding hillsides.

Recently, a beautiful museum has been built on-site. Three dimensional models of the entire site have been constructed, as well as displays showing the evolution of the Mayan Civilization, and how Xunantunich fits into the picture archaeologists are constructing of these people. Some of the stelae from the site are now protected and on display at the museum.