CARACOL
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Is the most extensive Maya
site known in Belize, covering 30 square miles of thick, high canopy
forest, and comprises a Classic-period complex that includes a number
of pyramids, five plazas, and an astmronomical observatory.
It's estimated that 180,000 or more people lived in this area at the city-state's peak around 700A.D. Over 35,000 buildings have been identified with the loftiest pyramid reaching 139 feet, Belize's tallest building. Caracol is now a Maya city in the process of being recovered from the jungle. Excavation and reconstruction of the site are ongoing during the dry season. A new Visitor's Centre exhibits a number of photographs and diagrams of the site, along with artifacts and a recovered ceremonial altar. |