Everything about Caracol Belize totally explained
Caracol or
El Caracol is the name given to a large ancient
Maya site located in the
Cayo District of the nation of
Belize. Caracol is about 25 miles south of
Xunantunich and
San Ignacio Cayo, at an elevation of 1500 feet (460 m) above sea-level, in the foothills of the
Maya Mountains. The name is
Spanish for "
The Snail"; the ancient Maya name may have been
Oxhuitza. It is known as such due to the large numbers of these creatures found at the site on its visitation by A.H. Anderson, the then chief archaeologist to British Honduras, after its discovery in 1937 by Rosa Mai, a mahogany logger.
The site was occupied as early as
1200 BCE, but had its greatest period of construction in the Maya Classic period, with over 40 monuments dated between
485CE to
889CE which record the dynastic sequence of the rulers.
Ancient Caracol was one of the largest ancient Maya cities, covering some 65 square miles (168 km²) with an estimated peak population of about 120,000, or possibly as many as 180,000 people. One monument here records a military victory over the army of
Tikal in
562CE, where Caracol's Lord Water is shown to have captured and sacrificed Tikal's Double Bird. This event is seemingly concurrent with archaeological and epigraphic evidence indicating the beginning of the
Tikal Mid-Classic Hiatus, when a seeming decline in Tikal's population, a cessation of monument building, and the destruction of certain monuments in the Great Plaza occurred as Caracol's population and urban development seemingly skyrocketed.
Known rulers of Caracol
(Note that this list isn't continuous, as the archaeological record is incomplete)
- 331–349: Te' Kab' Chaak
- circa 470: K'ak' Ujol K'inich I
- 484–514: Yajaw Te' K'inich I
- 531–534: K'an I
- 553–593: Yajaw Te' K'inich II (Lord Water)
- 599–613: "Knot Lord"
- 618–658: K'an II
- 658–680: K'ak' Ujol K'inich II
- circa 700: name unknown
- mid 8th century: name unknown
- 793: Tum Yohl K'inich
- 798: K'inich Joy K'awiil
- 810–830: K'inich Toob'il Yoaat
- 835–849: K'an III
- 859: name unknown
Modern history of Caracol
The site was first noted and documented in archaeological terms in
1937. More extensive explorations and documention of the site was undertaken by the
University of Pennsylvania in
1951 and
1953. A project of archaeological excavations and restorations of the ancient structures at Caracol started in
1985 and is ongoing. The project is currently directed by Drs. Arlen and Diane Chase of the
University of Central Florida in
Orlando. The site is maintained by residential wardens from the Belize Institute of Archaeology, a sub-division of the National Institute of Culture and History, a government-run agency.
The site currently accommodates an average of 15-20 tourists per day, with greater numbers during the peak season around Easter. A museum to hold the large monuments found at the site is currently being constructed. A visitor center is already at the site, and recent developments include new directional and informational signs and a house for the residential staff.
The only road Caracol may be accessed by is paved for the last ten miles and leads to the Western Highway between San Ignacio and Belmopan and to Santa Elena.
Caana ("sky-palace") is the largest building at Caracol. It remains one of the largest man-made structures in Belize.
Other area sites
Other Mayan sites within the Cayo province include Xunantunich, Cahal Pech and Chaa Creek.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Caracol Belize'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://caracol.totallyexplained.com">Caracol Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
