Nim Li Punit – Belize

Posted on 06/09/2023 by Michael

Nim Li Punit

Nim Li Punit – Belize

Location

This settlement from the Late Classic period (AD 600- 800) is situated south of the Golden Stream basin on a natural elevation in the Maya Mountain foothills known as the Toledo Beds, a complex series of sedimentary, sandstone and slate rocks from the Oligocene and more recent limestone from the Cretacious period. Towards the east, the coastal plain stretches to the Caribbean and there are maize fields with hardly any rainforest in the area around the site; running along both ends of the hill on which it sits are small streams that the ancient Maya used for their own consumption and for irrigation purposes, just like their modern descendants today. The site is located near the village of Indian Creek, some 50 km from the town of Punta Gorda in the Toledo district, and 1.5 km west of the Southern Highway, mile 75. The site has a small museum for safeguarding the stelae with reliefs and hieroglyphic inscriptions, earthenware vessels and figurines, and other minor discoveries.

History of the explorations

The initial investigations in 1976 were undertaken by Norman Hammond of the University of Cambridge and Barbara McLeod of the University of Texas at Austin, who studied the iconography of the sculpted monuments and their hieroglyphic inscriptions; as a result of this research a map of the pre-Hispanic settlement was drawn up, the monuments were classified and the principal group was excavated. In 1983, as part of his survey of southern Belize, Richard Leventhal excavated the upper plaza on behalf of the Belizean government and with foreign funding. In 1986 he identified another stela and a royal tomb containing the remains of five individuals as well as over 35 ceramic vessels and countless grave goods.

Site description and monuments

The name Nim Li Punit is Kekchi Maya for ‘Big Hat’ and was assigned by Joseph Palacio, the Archaeological Commissioner for Belize at the time the site was discovered by oil company workers in 1976. It makes reference to the prominent headdress of the figure depicted on Stela 14. Although Nim Li Punit has neither the impressive architecture nor the exquisite stonework to be found at Lubaantun, it is relatively similar in general terms and compensates for these omissions with a collection of 26 stelae, seven of which are sculpted; the largest is Stela 14, which at 9.5 m is the longest discovered in Belize and the second longest monument in the Maya area after Stela E at Quirigua. This site was initially believed to be a secondary centre dependent on Lubaantun, but archaeological studies have demonstrated that it was a large settlement and must have served as the ceremonial centre for the surrounding population. Even so, its relationship with other large centres in Belize and southern Peten remains unclear.

The principal constructions are distributed on the crest of a group of low hills and comprise three groups: a ceremonial complex and two civic-residential groups for the ruling elite, situated north of the main group. The ceremonial precinct is composed of two plazas, one of which stands 4 m higher than the other. The stelae were erected in the lower, and larger, of the two plazas. This plaza is in turn situated approximately 5 m above the natural level of the terrain and the various stepped sections of the platform provided access to the main group via a ramp or stairway. The largest pyramid structure stands some 11m high, while another measures 65 m in length and 3 m in height. The upper, smaller plaza is delimited by the large pyramid, two square-plan pyramid structures – one of these (structure 7) contained a rich collective tomb excavated by Leventhal in 1985 – and three elongated platforms, two small ones and a longer one at the west end measuring 40 m in length and 2 m in height. The north-east end of this plaza opens on to the Ball Court, situated a few metres below these two platforms. The court is open-ended and approximately 20 m in length, with a smooth, circular marker at its centre. North-west of the Ball Court, in the West Group, the hill slopes were levelled with retaining walls to create two terraces on which stand low platforms and a pyramid structure 6 m high, which due to its topographical position is the most imposing construction of the group, despite not being excessively high. East of the West Group and north of the Ball Court lies the East Group, composed of various stepped terraces on which are numerous residential structures; the highest terrace resembles a small irregular plaza, delimited by four pyramids and various smaller mounds.

The main group contains 26 monuments – carved in the sandstone and slate found in the geological strata of the Toledo district – although this figure may change if the stela butts are included; these are still embedded in situ and surrounded by the fragments of a few scattered stelae. Seven monuments have reliefs and hieroglyphic inscriptions (stelae 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 14 and 15). No altars or stone slabs have been found, only the smooth ball court marker. The earliest monument, Stela 15, is inscribed with the Long Count date 9.14.10.0.0 (AD 741), while the latest, Stela 3, possibly corresponds to the Maya date 10.0.0.0.0 (AD 830). A distinctive feature of the monuments is their wide range of sculptural styles and formats, each one displaying a different treatment in terms of its inscriptions, apparel and other details. The sculptural tradition lasted approximately four katuns (80 years), but the sculpted monuments reveal great creativity for a centre that was apparently secondary in the hierarchy of settlements in southern Belize; besides, the site even has its own emblem glyph. Uxbenka, a smaller site, and Lubaantun, larger than Nim Li Punit, as well as other sites in the region formed the sociopolitical mosaic towards the end of the Classic era. The sudden emergence of small polities seeking to legitimise their ruling elites gave rise to instability and political fragmentation in the southern area of the Maya lowlands.

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp254-256.

How to get there:

From Punta Gorda. The Belize bound bus leaves the centre of Punta Gorda at 08.00 and 10.00 (there are later departures but these are the best for visiting the site). The road leading to the site is on the north-eastern edge of the settlement of Indian Creek – about an hour from Punta Gorda. Bus fare B$5. The site is about 800m metres up a steepish hill from the main road. You might have a long wait to get back as the bus from Belize passes at around 11.30 and 12.30.

GPS:

16d 19’ 16” N

88d 49’ 27” W

Entrance:

B$10

Caracol – Belize

Posted on 04/09/2023 by Michael

Caracol

Caracol – Belize

Location

This is the largest archaeological site in Belize and, during the Classic era, it was also the largest urban centre in the region. It was thus named by the British archaeologist A H Anderson due to the abundance of snails [caracoles in Spanish] found on the clay paths amid the ruins. The site is situated on the west face of the Maya Mountains, in the Chiquibul forestry reserve surrounded by the Chiquibul and Macal rivers, in an asymmetrical mountainous area some 500 m above sea level. Due to the wealth of the natural surroundings and its strategic position between the central lowlands and the Caribbean coast, it became one of the most important urban settlements in the Maya area. Over 60 km of sacbeob or Maya causeways have been identified further inland, which were clearly used for trading and communication purposes. This great city and the outlying settlements are thought to have had a combined population of over 100,000 inhabitants. Caracol is situated approximately 120 km from San Ignacio, in the Cayo district. There are two accesses from the Western Highway, with signs indicating the turn-off to the site. To reach the site from the twin towns of San Ignacio and Santa Elena, take the Cristo Rey road via the Yucatec Maya village of San Antonio and then switch to the Chiquibul road. If you take the Western Highway from the capital Belmopan, turn on to the Chiquibul road when you reach Georgeville. This road, which is still not entirely paved, crosses the Mountain Pine Ridge Reserve and leads to the Douglas D’Silva Forest Station in the Rio Frio Caves area. At this point visitors are obliged to report to the control post for escort to the archaeological site as the access route passes through a British military zone deep in the heart of the Maya Mountains. The road to Caracol from the forest station is in fairly good repair and takes you right to the archaeological park. The site has a visitor centre and rest rooms, but there is no food or drink. There is also a simple but interesting site museum that houses a ball court marker with a hieroglyphic inscription, various typical incense burners from the region and other ceramic objects found at the site. A scale model provides visitors with a general idea of the city at a glance and there are also explanatory panels about the archaeological explorations in the area.

History of the explorations

The site was identified in 1939 by Rosa Mai, a logger looking for fine wood. That same year the archaeologist A H Anderson visited the area and christened it Caracol. In the 1950s, the archaeologist Linton Satterthwaite from the University of Pennsylvania conducted excavations at the site to rescue various monuments sculpted in stone. In 1954 the first archaeological commissioner for Belize, Anderson, carried out new excavations and located the funerary chamber, B2. In 1977 the museum of the University of Pennsylvania sent Carl Beetz to finish the work begun by Satterthwaite. A few years later, in 1978, Elizabeth Graham sent a team to rescue monument 21, currently on display at the museum in Belmopan. That same year and the following year, Paul Healy from Trent University investigated the artificial terraces around the site. In 1985 the archaeologists Diane and Arlen Chase from the University of Central Florida embarked on a series of ongoing extensive excavations. Similarly, in recent years the Belize Institute of Archaeology directed by Jaime Awe has consolidated the Caana monumental structure and various stucco masks, such as those on Building B5, have been protected with replicas.

Pre-Hispanic history

The recent discoveries at Caracol have altered our former knowledge of the site. Explorations have demonstrated that the area was densely populated and that the terrain was modified with terraces for cultivation and habitation purposes; the outlying area was connected to the ceremonial centre via a large network of roads built with stone and mortar. Intensive farming provided the local inhabitants an agricultural surplus that favoured the development of a powerful kingdom on a par with Tikal, Calakmul and other smaller sites such as Ucanal, Naranjo and B’ital. The political links with these powers in the Maya lowlands turned Caracol into a key player in the diplomatic and military manoeuvres of the Classic era.

Epigraphic studies have revealed a long dynastic sequence comprising 14 kul ahaw or ‘divine lords’, commencing in the mid-4th century with a figure called Te’ Kab’ Chaac or ‘Tree Branch Rain God’, thought to be the founder of the Caracol dynasty. It would appear that the original name of the city was Oxwitza, ‘Place of Three Hills’. The ruler Ahaw ‘Snail Knot’ left an impressive monumental legacy. The 2-katun (40-year) reign of his brother K’an II, the fifth ruler and perhaps the most successful chief of Caracol, propitiated the development of outlying centres connected to the main centre by a large network of roads. His mother, Lady B’atz Ek’, also played an active role in politics and she is thought to be buried inside Pyramid B19 on the Caana platform.

Other historical data recorded in the stone hieroglyphs are the fall of Caracol as a result of a war with its rival Naranjo, after which it remained in a kind of hiatus lasting 118 years until AD 798, when the local nobility revived their traditions with K’inich Joy K’awil, the ninth figure in line to the throne of Caracol, who captured the ‘divine lords’ of Ucanal and B’ital. This event is recorded on Altar 23 situated at the centre of the site in a provisional place to protect it and other sculptures from the elements. The monuments of the subsequent rulers reveal common thematic and stylistic innovations during the Terminal Classic period, such as shared scenes in which the ruler converses or performs ceremonies in the company of another high ranking figure. According to the epigraphers, this marked a change in the autocratic power to meet new circumstances in which the rulers had to negotiate their position with other leading members of the nobility, either local or foreign, whose power equalled or exceeded their own.

Other important sites in the region ruled by Caracol are La Rejolla, Hatzcap Ceel, Caledonia and Mountain Cow. Caracol was the largest state in the region. By the end of the Maya hiatus, it probably had a larger population than Tikal. The latest inscription at Caracol can be found on Stela 10 and corresponds to the Maya date 10.1.10.0.0 (AD 859). There are no known monuments after this date that mention the heroic feats of the rulling elite, although the destroyed city shows evidence of having continued to be occupied for some time.

Site description

The central area of the site occupies a surface area of 3 sq km. The site reveals great urban growth between AD 550 and 700. During the Late Classic important changes occurred: increased building activity, strong population growth and the development of farming based on a system of raised terraces. At Caracol 4,400 structures have been identified and mapped in an area of 4 sq km. The site is situated 75 km in a straight line from Tikal and 45 km from Naranjo, in Guatemala. The area has a complex network of interconnected roads with various outlying sites around the central area. Several architectural structures at the site have been consolidated and a large number of sculptural monuments have been recovered, providing important historical data about the rulers of this great city.

Visitors enter the area via Group A, which is situated in the west section and comprises more than 12 structures around an enclosed plaza. Interesting to note is the presence of an E-Group or observatory. These structures were used for establishing the points of the solstices and equinoxes, celestial observations closely tied to farming cycles: ploughing, sowing and harvesting. At the centre of the group is a large elongated construction known as Building A6 or ‘Wooden Lintel’. This building displays a long building sequence from the Late Preclassic to the end of the Classic period. At the top of structure A2, on the west side of the plaza, Stela 22 (AD 633) was found; it contains the longest hieroglyphic inscription known in Belize to date. Situated on the south side of this same group is Ball Court A. Floor marker 21 was identified at the centre of the court and holds special significance in the history of Caracol as it records the victories over the ruling lineage of Tikal in April AD 562. The marker was probably dedicated to the accession of the fifth ruler of Caracol, Lord K’an II, commemorating his military victory over his old rival Naranjo in AD 631.

Continuing to the east we arrive at the central acropolis, the Late Classic residential and funerary complex that accommodated the ruling class of this period. Situated at the south end is another large residential group, the south acropolis, which delimits the south side of this central area of the site. Between the two acropolises is a large reservoir, which must have supplied the residential complexes with water. Situated at Group B, in the north-east section of the site, is the largest architectural complex and Caracol’s greatest pyramid, which the archaeologists christened Caana, meaning ‘Sky Place’. This vast construction that stands over 43 m high and dominates Plaza B is the most complex single building on the site and displays multifunctional architecture comprising administrative, residential, funerary and religious spaces. Its main facade has been cleared of rubble and consolidated. Several constructions were built on top of this great pyramid, around a large enclosed court. The buildings in a triadic arrangement on the top reveal the remains of stucco masks and contain vaulted funerary chambers. The massive pyramid also contains several buried constructions, the oldest one dating from around 200 BC. Opposite the Caana building, on the south side of the plaza, stands Building B5. Visible at the sides of the central stairway of this temple are the remains of stucco masks representing the ‘Earth Monster’ or Witz and other deities such as the rain god. These superimposed masks reveal two building phases and provide us with an idea of the profuse decoration on Maya constructions. Also situated in this section is Ball Court B, where four markers have been identified; the hieroglyphic inscriptions on the markers record the accession to the throne of K’inich Joy K’awil, one of the last rulers of the site, in AD 799. Group B also contains a fine masonry construction used as a reservoir. Situated in the north-east area of Group B are structures B2i to B26, identified as the ‘neighbourhood’. This area accommodates two palaces and residential areas corresponding to the Late Classic period (AD 800). There are other residential groups nearby but these are not open to the public

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp248-254.

Caracol

Group A; 2. Structure A2; 3. Structure A6; 4. Ball Court A; 5. Struture A13; 6. Central Acropolis; 7. South Acropolis; 8. Group B; 9. Caana; 10. Ball Court B; 11. Building B5; 12. Structures B21 to B26.

How to get there:

From San Ignacio. Not easy – if you don’t have your own transport. The only other way is to book on a tour from one of the many agencies in San Ignacio – but they only do trips if they have at least two people. Cost is B$250. This is an all day affair, taking in visits to some of the natural highlights, Price includes lunch and entrance to the site.

GPS:

16d 45’50”N

89d 07’03”W

Entrance:

B$15

Cahal Pech – Belize

Posted on 01/09/2023 by Michael

Cahal Pech

Cahal Pech – Belize

Location

This site is located on the outskirts of the towns San Ignacio and Santa Elena, in the Cayo district. There is easy access from San Ignacio to the archaeological site, which is situated on a hilltop overlooking the road to the town of Benque Viejo del Carmen. The complex lies on the west bank on the River Macal and occupies a strategic position with control over the valley. The name Cahal Pech is a mixture of Mopan and Yucatec Maya, meaning ‘tick’, an insect that can be found in abundance in the surrounding pasture land. The central area of the site is composed of 34 structures and occupies a surface area of close on one hectare. The groups include various residential constructions for the elite class and several pyramid platforms with temples. The buildings are situated around seven courts or closed plazas, which include a palatial section. There are two ball courts, five smooth or unadorned stelae, an altar and a temascal or steam bath (Structure B-5). Part of the site has been partially restored following important archaeological finds denoting construction phases ranging from 1200 BC to AD 800. Cahal Pech has a visitor centre, a site museum with interesting pieces from the area and a rest room.

Site description

Access is from the north-east and the first area entered is Plaza B, the largest on the site. Structures B1, B2 and B3 seal the west side of the plaza. According to Joyce Kelly, this group formed an E-Group complex or astronomical marker of the solstices and equinoxes, like the one at Uaxactun in Guatemala. A royal burial from the Late Classic (AD 600 to 800) was discovered at Structure B1 with grave goods containing objects made from jade, carved shell and bone, ceramic vessels and a jade and shell mosaic belt mask. On the south side of the plaza lies structure B4, an elongated platform with a stairway at the front and mask remains on the balustrades. The explorations conducted by Joseph Ball and Jaime Awe have revealed a long occupational sequence, commencing in 1200 BC, which means that the site was one of the earliest settlements in the region. The reconstructed facade we see today dates from between 600 and 300 BC. The south-west corner of Plaza B leads to Plaza F, which has various low platforms that have not yet been restored. On the west side of this small plaza a double-flight stairway leads to the residential Groups E and D in the south-central area of the site. This section has been partially restored and contains excellent examples of Maya vaults and rooms with elegant benches for resting, not unlike those depicted in polychrome Maya vases.

The west side of Plaza B leads to Plaza A, passing through Structure A2, which fulfils the function of a portal. This elongated structure with several rooms and restricted access was called the Audiencia, probably having been used for administrative and civic functions as well as serving as a hall where the ruling class would meet or receive important emissaries. Plaza A displays an elegant layout and an exclusive palatial complex. This section, which is connected at the rear to Plazas E and D, provides visitors with an idea of the layout of architectural spaces for the Maya elite, Structure A1 is the tallest construction at Cahal Pech, standing 24 m high. Visitors can climb to the top of it for a view of the surrounding elite buildings. The largest construction at the site is from the Middle Classic (AD 500), but its sub-structures were built in the Late Preclassic (400 BC-AD 250). On the west side of Plaza A a passage leads to the rear area containing a draining system and various terraces sloping down to the west ball court, which has not yet been excavated. This section displays a considerable difference in ground level, indicating Cahal Pech’s strategic and defence position. Various roads have been discovered near the site leading to outlying residential groups. The site is thought to have been occupied from 1200 BC to AD 900, when it was vacated. A possible reason for its vacation was the growth of other powerful cities in the area, such as Buenavista, Baking Pot, Pacbitun and Xunantunich.

From: ‘The Maya: an architectural and landscape guide’, produced jointly by the Junta de Andulacia and the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico, 2010, pp244-246.

Getting there:

From San Ignacio. The turn off to the site is at the roundabout on the western edge of town (the road heading towards the Belize/Guatemala border). From the roundabout head south and go up the steep hill in front of you. Once at the top the entrance to the site is to your left. There is a small visitor centre giving a bot of a background to the location with a few artefacts recovered from past excavations.