Caracol
The Place of Three Hills

If you travel South-West of the Mountain Pine Ridge you will find Caracol, these ancient Mayan ruins, situated in the Cayo District of Belize, about a 3 hour drive from San Ignacio, and close to the Guatemalan border. It rises 460 m (1500 feet) above sea-level so you need to be agile and fit to climb it. If you manage to get to the top, you will enjoy one of the best views in the whole of Belize.

Caracol means "snail shell" in Spanish, but don`t be misled. The term is not named after any legend that the ancient Maya might have given it, but named by Anderson, an archaeological commissioner who was referring to the long spiralling trail up to the temple, like the spiral on a snail`s shell. The ancient Mayan name is "ox witz ha", which means "Place of 3 Hills".

These city ruins are grander than Tikal, once thought as the most prominent metropolis of the ancient Mayan temples and cities, and their discovery fills a once missing 140 year period in the history of the Mayan people, causing it to be rewritten.

There are over 40 monuments inscribed with Choltian hieroglyphics, dating it`s rulers and their dynasties from 485CE to 889CE. It`s ceremonial centre, the Caana pyramid, is the highest man-made structure in Belize, and the largest monument of Caracol. The name of this structure means "Sky Palace".

Latest Archaeological Discovery

Did you know that the ancient Maya designed and maintained sustainable cities long before 'building green' became a modern term? This is what Diane Chase, co-director of the Caracol Archaeological Project has revealed.

The University of Florida and University of California, Berkeley, together with the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping, used light detection and ranging (Lidar) to bounce laser signals from the air that penetrated the dense jungle.

The technique revealed 3-D topographic images over 80 square miles of the ancient site. What they said they found was agricultural terraces, lots of hidden caves, thousands of new structures, and 11 new causeways.

This is a breakthrough for archaeological research as it took only 4 weeks to map out about 77 miles of the ruins of Caracol, compared to 9 miles that took 25 years.

One of the reasons for these results is that using this technique saves having to cut through dense jungle to find what lies unvielded. Now the 3-D topographic images can give an accurate picture of the scale and nature of these important archaeological sites.

Flora and Fauna

If it`s flora and fauna you love, then the surrounding Chiquibul Forest Reserve will delight you. I just love the orchids found in this "neck of the woods". A ceiba tree that is over 500 years old is in close location to the ruins. The circumference at the base of the stump is about the width of a large cabana. In the reserve you will find 265,894 acres of rare tropical broad-leaf rainforest, and endangered animal species that frequent the area, such as the Baird`s tapir, jaguar, puma, and scarlet macaw.

...and if you get too hot, there`s ample refreshment in the form of a cool dip in mountain water at the volcanic Rio On pools.

If you take a combination tour, Later along the trail you will pass the Rio On pools. They formed naturally into many pools, with a higher pool where you can sit with some friends and enjoy the exhilarating mountain water that bubbles like a jacuzzi. Wow! Fantastic!

If you travel south of Caracol you will come across Chiquibul caves, with the longest cave system in Central America and largest cave room in all of the Western Hemisphere, but only experienced cavers can ride this one. Not for the faint hearted.

Caracol is just one of many Maya Temples in Belize

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