Hmmm this day didn't quite go as planned. Mariana, Victoria and I had signed up to do the excursion to Xunantunich, Mayan ruins close to the Guatemala border. But the weather had other plans for us. Rain had caused flooding in the area and Park Rangers closed the ruins. Bah. Shore Excursions offered to put us on the trip to Altun Ha instead. Why not? We were already up.
The bus ride to the ruins took about an hour or maybe more. I'm not 100% sure as I slept most of the way. Gotta get my sleep when and where I can. The ruins at first seem tiny. There are only two plazas and about 1/2 a dozen buildings - temples, tombs and pyramids. But... Most of the site remains covered by jungle. There are actually 6 plazas and 500 buildings here.
Altun Ha was constructed about 600 bc or maybe even earlier. It may have been small but it is thought to have been one of the major trading posts for the Mayan civilization at the time. Objects have been found that would have originally come from Mexico, Panama and Guatemala.
Inside the Temple of the Sun God they found a jade head representing the Sun God. It's about 6" tall and weighs over 10lbs. The real jade carving is now in a vault at the bank in Belize City (which was built in the same shape as the temple) and a replica is on display at the Museum of Belize.
The Temple of the Temple of the Masonry Altars is the logo for Belize's Belikan Beer. Just thought you needed to know that!
According to our tour guide:
- every 52 years the Mayans added to or renovated a building. First time I'd heard that piece of information about Mayan temples.
- 13 is a lucky number for the Mayans.
- Women were buried in Mayan temples, an indication that the Mayans held women in high regard.
On the way back, we took a boat ride on the River Wallace and saw crocodiles, howler monkeys and really big gekkos.