Saturday, November 27, 2010

HIKING THE MAYAN RUINS



Belize is considered the heartland of the Maya civilization and has a number or Maya archaeological sites.  The Maya civilization flourished from 2000 B.C. to about 900 A.D.  On our Belize trip in 1998, we hiked the Mayan ruins of Althun Ha, which means "Water of the Rock".  The ruins are surrounded by the lush jungle and you can hear the howler monkeys in the back ground. 



Althun Ha (Water of the Rock) is famous for many reasons.  It is here that they found a Jade Head, the largest carved jade object in the whole Maya area, representing the Sun God, Kinich Ahau. It is the national symbol of Belize and can be found on the corner of every Belizean banknote in circulation. Althun Ha is located approximately 31 miles north of Belize City. 

2 comments:

  1. I <3 archeological sites! I hope I can see this cute ziggurat some day. Thanks for sharing all things Belize. To be honest, I don't know much about it. Actually most people don't even know where it is! :))

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  2. AJ, it is a very beautiful place, lots ot see in Belize. Thanks for stopping by my blog.

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