Marco Gonzalez Archaeological Reserve. Marco Gonzalez is located at the southern tip of Ambergris Caye, about 5 miles south of San Pedro. It was first recorded in 1984 and excavated between 1984 and 1994. However, the site had already been extensively looted before its excavation.
Mayan Ruins
Maya Timeline References
Maya Timeline: https://www.softschools.com/timelines/mayan_timeline/147/
Maya Periods:
- Early Pre-Classic: 2500 BC-1000 BC: During this time period in other parts of the world, the mammoth became extinct, Stonehenge was completed, the Celts began to use iron, silk was discovered in China, wine was introduced and Egypt invaded Nubia.
- Middle Pre-Classic: 1000 BC- 300 BC: During this time period in other parts of the world, the Eygptians began natural mumification of bodies, the Iliad and the Odyssey was written, Rome was founded, Socrates, Aristotle and Confucious were born, the Olmecs developed a written alphabet and the Parthenon was built.
- Late Pre-Classic: 300 BC-300 AD: During this time period, Rome conquered Greece, Jesus was born, lived and was crucified, Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus and Pompeii is destroyed by Vesuvius.
- Early Classic: 300 AD - 600 AD: During this time period in other parts of the world, the Visigoths sacked Rome for the first time, the Edict of Milan declared that the Roman Empire would be neutral toward religious worship and Constantine organized the First Council of Nicaea.
Uxbenka Mayan Archaeological Site. Uxbenka is a very small site compared to Nim Li Punit and Lubaantun and is located near the water tower for Santa Cruz Village overlooking the footfills of the Maya Mountains and the Blue Creek canyon of Belize.
(If you would like to tour the site, ask around the Village - Uxbenka is not officially open to tourists, but mounds have been cleared with some exposed limestone walls and a small open tomb is in the main plaza.)
Uxbenka dates back to the early Classic Period, long before the existence of other Maya city-states in southern Belize, and its name means "Ancient One" to reflect its age. Uxbenka is thought to have been a ceremonial site with one main plaza at the top of hill opposite the water tower for Santa Cruz Village, and smaller plazas built on terraces carved into the side of hill and at the base of the hill on which the site is located. Seven carved stelae, plus 13 uncarved stelae were found at Uxbenka, with one carved stelae dating back to the early Classic Period.
Uxbenka was "discovered" in 1984 after reports to the Belize Department of Archaeology about looting of tombs near Santa Cruz.
Latitude/Longitude for Santa Cruz, Toledo, Belize:
Latitude: 16°14'28.76"N/Longitude: 89°04'39.48"W
Nim Li Punit Archaeological Site. Nim Li Punit means "big hat" in the Kekchi Maya language and refers to the large headdress on a ruler depicted on one of the stela found at the site. The Nim Li Punit ruins are located off the Southern Highway about 25 miles north of Punta Gorda Town.
Nim Li Punit was occupied by about 5000-7000 people at its peak in the Late Classic Period and was occupied from around 721 to 890 AD. The people who lived in Nim Li Punit probably migrated to Nim Li Punit from the area that is now Guatemala and were probably aligned with Tikal in Guatemala and Copan in Honduras.
The site is organized around three plazas and includes an incredibly well-preserved ball court. Archaeologists also believe that Nim Li Punit includes a Mayan observatory in the Plaza of the Stelae because of the geometric positioning of the structures in this plaza.
Structures at Nim Li Punit were built of sandstone using mortar between stones unlike the mortarless slate construction at Lubaantun.
Nim Li Punit was first investigated by archaeologists in 1976.
Latitude: 16°14'43.19"N/Longitude: 88°46'10.31"W
Toledo District
Lubaanatun Mayan Archaeological Site. Lubaantun is located about 2 miles from San Pedro Columbia Village and about 26 miles northwest of Punta Gorda Town in the Toledo District of Belize. Lubaantun, which means "place of the fallen stones" is a modern name for the site. No one knows its ancient Mayan name.
Lubaantun was occupied in the mid to late Classic Period from about 730 to 890 AD when it was abandoned. Not much is known about Lubaantun although speculation is that it had a military purpose because it is built about 200 feet above sea level, and the center of the site is on a large artificially raised platform between two small rivers.
Lubaantun is also believed to have been an administrative center of trade regulation, with nearby Nim Li Punit functioning as a center of religion, ceremony and ritual.
Santa Rita Mayan Archaeological Site. Archaeologist believe that Santa Rita is almost certainly the ancient city of Chetumal and was occupied from 2000 BC to 1530 AD, with its primary importance in the Late Post Classic Period from 1350-1530 when it was an important center for the trade of honey, vanilla, cacao and anchiote to the northern Yucatan and other locations.
The breadth of the trade that flourished in Santa Rita is evidenced by findings at the site that include Andean pottery from the Late Classic Period and turquoise jewelry from the Aztecs.
Santa Rita was abandoned when Spanish forces cut off trade routes to the north.
The Belize town of Corozal was built on top of Santa Rita and only one building remains from the ancient Mayan City of Chetumal. Santa Rita is located on the outskirts of Corozal just off the main road to Santa Elena and Mexico. The Caribbean Sea forms the eastern boundary of Santa Rita.