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We flew in this small aircraft on a short hop to Belize, where we were picked up and driven quite a way to our hotel, The Black Rock Lodge
Caracol Maya site
3 hours each way from our hotel. Journey through mountains and pine forest, across the Guacamallo River and into dense jungle. Caracol is the largest Mayan ruin in Belize and believed to be one of the largest in Central America. Caracol is huge. In fact, it is not only the largest Mayan site in Belize but one of the largest in the Mayan world. The core area alone is 15 square miles and once supported a population of about 120,000 people.
Discovered in the 1930’s by a log hunter, it was not explored until the 1950’s when Linton Satherwaite of the University of Pennsylvania began to uncover its splendour. Due to difficult accessibility, excavations were delayed until 1985, when Drs. Arlen and Diane Chase of Central Florida University took on the challenging task. Caracol is famous for conquering the megalopolis Tikal when Tikal was at its peak.
At over 145 feet high, Caana (sky palace) towers above the rainforest. Having climbed it, I can vouch for it being a long way up, and a long way down. I was a bit concerned that our guide, who was on the well fed side, would struggle on the climb, but he made it remarkably easily
Ancient Caracol was occupied as early as 1200 BC. Its greatest period of construction was in the Maya Classic period, between 600 and 900 AD. The town grew into one of the largest ancient Maya cities, covering some 65 square miles with an estimated peak population of about 120,000 or more. Many hieroglyphic texts have been found on stelae, alters, ball-court-markers, capstones and wall facades. The discovery of an elaborately carved ball-court-marker dating back to the end of the early Classic Period has been interpreted as Caracol claiming a military victory over Tikal, located more then 60 miles away in Guatemala. Caracol was a densely populated city with a prowess in war. Not only against Tikal, but also against nearby Naranjo and Ucanal.
Evidence suggests that the general population benefited from these wars which served as a catalyst for the city’s development. One monument records a military victory over the army of Tikal in 562 AD, where Caracol’s Lord Water is shown to have captured and sacrificed Tikal’s Double Bird. Causeways (sacbeob) link all parts of the city of Caracol as well as outlying parts of the city to a distance of 25 miles. These causeways incorporated previously existing centres into Caracol, serving to integrate the economy. This included the local agriculture and markets which occurred within the city.
The complex covers 30-square miles of thick, high-canopy jungle, and includes five plazas, an astronomic observatory and over 35,000 buildings which have been identified. The tallest of them is a massive pyramid which is capped by three temples and rises over 140 feet above the jungle floor. A project of archaeological excavations and restorations started in 1985 and is ongoing; however, most of the site remains unexcavated. An on-site museum was opened in 1998, but only a small number of tourists visit daily.
Caracol’s central core consists of three plaza groups surrounding a central acropolis and two ball courts, along with a number of smaller structures. The Visitor’s Centre exhibits a number of photographs and diagrams of the site, along with artifacts, including a recovered ceremonial altar. The main pyramid at Caracol is called Caana or “Sky Palace.” At 136 feet high it is the tallest Mayan building in Belize and the tallest man-made structure in the country. Caana contains four palaces and three temples. The palace rooms were originally coated with white stucco and decorated with red paint. More than 100 tombs have also been found, as well as a rich array of hieroglyphic inscriptions.
After exploring the main area of Caracol, we stopped at to Big Rock Falls, but opted out of the swim
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The hotel is not on Booking.com but on TripAdvisor . This lodge is set in a stunning and remote location on the banks of the Macal River in the Maya Mountains of the Cayo District. They have 13 cabins of different categories, a restaurant and a bar. Guests can go hiking, biking, horse riding and tubing all on the property and surrounding countryside. This is a lodge in a remote and scenic setting. In fact it is about an hour's drive from the tarmac road, along a narrow cart track, to get to the hotel
We stayed here to visit the Mayan ruins at Caracol. In fact this hotel is much further from the ruins than you would think from the map. Over an hour further than say Blancaneaux or Hidden Valley - due to the mountains and rivers that dictate where roads run. It takes about 3 hours to get to the ruins and 3 hours back.
Having said that, the setting is spectacular, and our river view cottage was modern and really nice, and did deliver a great river view
I was not enthusiastic about the restaurant - it is badly lit at night with little atmosphere. I wanted to avoid the communal dining and asked for a table for two, but they were not prepared to let us eat downstairs which I thought was much nicer, instead insisting that we ate upstairs, all be it on a table for two
There was a problem with the food being cold, because the plates were never warmed. But after a very receptive conversation with the manager, I have high hopes that the chef will now warm the plates before sending food out. You are never going to nip out to another restaurant for dinner from here - it is an hour into town on dirt roads
This is a remote location, so they have problems training staff to Western tastes/standards. The manager has done a good job in this respect.
This is a very good hotel to enjoy the attractions of the immediate area, but probably not if you want to visit Caracol
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Within an hour of leaving this hotel, we were crossing the border into Guatemala and our next Mayan site at Tikal