6
/ Aug. 2014
WORDS
Belize UNCOVERED!
By SYEDA RUBAINA WASI
The lost cities of Mayan civilization have been
under reconstruction since a few decades
and the lost pieces of archeological evidences
are slowly and steadily garnered and their
story reconstructed. This has been a rough
path for the archeologists since every site of
Mayan era has been looted by collectors and
curators.
However, multidisciplinary research project
focused on researching the transnational
criminal trafficking of looted and stolen
cultural property was commissioned to
concentrate on the dwindling sources of
architectural marvels and to carve out a
niche to preserve and protect the cultural
history of the Mayans. This may take a while
to be successful since archaeologists have
lost a lot of information and are now trying to
string the tattered pieces back.
Recently, a short documentary was released
by Night Fire Films, titled “Dance of the
Maize God”, to recuperate on the importance
of a structural envision of the once glorious
Mayan era. The film explores issues such as
“excavation, study and the exhibition of
Ancient Maya art”.
More studies have been emerging ever since,
now
that
the
importance
of
such
architectural and archaeological remnants
have proved to be path breaking in
constructing a history that has been ignored
and uncared for a long time.
A lot of interest is also brewing among the
tourists who have a thirst for such
archaeological and historical aspects of
ancient civilization like that of Maya, and our
beautiful town of Belize can offer just that –
with many commercial set ups springing up
to promote the historical knowledge and the
story of the Mayas through the excavation
sites in Belize.
As part of Belize uncovered, we bring you
some of these excavation sites that have
garnered a lot of interest among the tourists
and researchers alike, and are usually open
to the public as small group excursions,
cruise and guided tours.
Contents
Altun Ha Ruins: A relatively small
Mayan community of 3000-10,000
people, this site is believed to have been a
strategically located affluent trading center,
boasting of the largest Mayan jade carving
ever found. This jade head named Kinich
Ahau ("Sun God") weighs nine pounds.
Historically, Altun Hadates back to 600 BC
and was an active Mayan town until the end
of the Mayan era, somewhere around 900
AD.
Architecturally
Altun
Ha
clearly
exemplifies
the
Mayan
architectural
accomplishments even during those days.
Lamanai Ruins: Lamanai (Mayan for
Submerged Crocodile), located beneath the
forest canopy along New River Lagoon is the
second largest Mayan site in Belize, where
hundreds of structures of historical and
archeological
significance
have
been
identified so far. Lamanaiis said to have been
active around 1500 BC until the nineteenth
century – the longest known time of Mayan
dwelling.
Another prominent example of Mayan
architecture and civilization can be found in
the Xunantunich ruins, located in the Cayo
district of Belize that is well-excavated and
easily accessible. This site has is reminiscent
of some of the largest Mayan Temples that
are found in Tikal and Copan.
Other noteworthy Mayan ruins of Belize are
the Caracol (largest known Mayan city state
and archeological site located in the forests of
Chiquibil Forest Reserve), Tikal (most
august of the Mayan cities that are well
excavated with all and pompous pyramids
that highlight the Mayan architecture) and
the “yet to be explored” El Pilar that
straddles to about 100 acres of promising
Mayan archaeological finds.