Climb Ancient Temples in Belize's Maya Ruins | National Geographic
Coming up now at the top of the observatory, I need to catch my breath. I'm Marie McCrory with National Geographic Travel. Belize is home to about a dozen major Mayan ruins, which are visited by over 300,000 tourists every year. But the largest Mayan site in the country only receives a small fraction of those visitors. The ancient ruins of Caracol are only about 25 miles south of San Ignacio, but the nearly six-hour round trip makes getting there an all-day adventure. The prospect of the long journey only made me more curious: what are people missing out on by skipping over Caracol? I set out to see for myself.
About two hours into the trip, I took a little detour. We made a quick pit stop at Rio Frio Caves. The 70-foot arches on either side make it one of Belize's most accessible caves. A little later, I took a quick butterfly breather. This clump of swallowtail butterflies was collecting minerals from the mud in a behavior called puddling. Finally, I arrived at Caracol. The site was lush and peaceful, with none of the typical tourist amenities, like a gift shop or concessions. But, unlike many other Mayan sites, visitors are free to climb and explore the ruins.
At its height, around AD 650, Caracol spanned more than six square miles and was home to over 140,000 people. That's double the population of Belize City. The country's current largest, known as the Skypalace, "Kana," is the tallest set of buildings in Caracol; very tough, though it doesn't look that tall because the tiered design makes it difficult to see the top when you're standing on the ground. There's also an observatory complex that the Maya used for astronomical observations. Many of the structures haven't been excavated due to logistical and funding challenges, but you can still make them out underneath mounds of dirt and trees. These extra layers actually help preserve the ruins by protecting them from the elements.
Some pieces of history that are easy to see are carvings that are all over the site. The hieroglyphs tell the story of the kingdom by recording significant dates, succession of rulers, or even political intrigue. It's off the beaten path today, but Caracol had a favorable location in the ancient Maya world. It had valuable resources nearby, like stone for making tools and carving monuments, and it had access to trade routes that included the Belize River, which meant they could even have fresh fish at the market.
After taking in all the amazing sights, I started back towards San Ignacio, but I made one last stop at the Rio on Pools. So nice and cool, you could either sun on the rocks or slide down them. Just like Caracol, the site was not overrun by tourists. Instead, I spotted a lot of locals enjoying the water. In the end, I realized that even though the trip to Caracol is long, all of the adventures along the way make walking in the footsteps of the ancient Mayans well worth the effort.