November 19, 2010

Mile,Aphrodisias , Pamukkale, thermal, waters, plateau , formations , story, gates , Ephesus , Turkey , Kusadasi, holiday , holidays, hotel, hotels , summer , sun , sea , beach, beaches , Seven Sleepers, Virgin Mary, pilgrimage , nightlife , Domitian, library , near , masons ,

Ephesus;

Located in a beautiful bay on the west coast of Turkey, Kusadasi literally means “bird island”. Located about 90 km south of Izmir, the city terraces overlooking a beautiful landscape of the Aegean Sea. The beaches are wide and some hotels do not have platforms equipped with sun beds. In about 15 minutes by car, there are several water parks, one of the most popular Aqua Fantasy and Aqua Land is also where you can swim with dolphins. Fun nightlife and shopping in the bazaar with an irrepressible variety. And ‘nice even a walk to the little “Güvercin Adasi” Pigeon Island is now connected to the mainland by a road.

Kusadasi offers a wide variety of excursions to be made in the immediate surroundings.

The most important place to visit Ephesus archaeological site is located approximately 30 minutes by car. Lovers of ancient history will only be spoiled for choice. The visit of Ephesus ancient commercial center, is one of the most extraordinary views that can be made in Turkey. Ephesus was one of the largest Ionian cities in Anatolia, at the mouth of the river Caistro and the 129 was the capital of the Roman province of Asia. Among the ruins, making it one of the most famous archaeological sites in the Mediterranean Sea, are worthy of note is the Temple of Domitian, the library and the amphitheater.

A short distance away, near the ruins of the Basilica of St. John built on his grave, you can see the last column of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Going up the hill of the Nightingales, is another important place for Christianity, the sanctuary of the Virgin Mary, built on the “House of Mary” where it is believed to have lived the last years.

Mile,Aphrodisias , Pamukkale, thermal, waters, plateau , formations , story, gates , Ephesus , Turkey , Kusadasi, holiday , holidays, hotel, hotels , summer , sun , sea , beach, beaches , Seven Sleepers, Virgin Mary, pilgrimage , nightlife , Domitian, library , near , masons ,

Another place of Christian pilgrimage is the Cave of the Seven Sleepers, now revered as saints. It is said that during the Christian persecution of Emperor Decius (250 AD), seven Christian youths of Ephesus were called before a court because of their faith. They refused to sacrifice to idols, were convicted but released at the moment. To avoid re-arrest hid in a cave. Discovered, were walled up in the cave itself. The seven young men slept in their prison awaiting death.

They were awakened by the masons who breached the wall, wanted to build a pen. It had been two hundred years and was Malchus fell back into town when he discovered to his amazement of being in a city where Christian symbols were now tolerated. Initially mistaken for a madman, it was finally believed when the bishop and the citizens went to the cave and were able to verify the story.

If you have multiple days, do not miss One Mile, large port ion, Aphrodisias and Pamukkale  ( Hierapolis ) triumphs when a fairy landscape with thermal waters that have set down on the edges of the plateau formations of stalactites and basins.

Another Details about Region of Kusadasi and Ephesus:

Kusadasi Guide, Turkey

Located in a beautiful bay on the west coast of Turkey, Kusadasi literally means “bird island“. Located about 90 km south of Izmir, the city terraces overlooking a magnificent landscape of the Aegean. 

Kusadasi Beaches are broad and Kusadasi hotels do not have platforms are equipped with sun loungers. In about 15 minutes by car, there are several water parks, one of the most popular Aqua Fantasy and Aqua Land is also where you can swim with dolphins .

Nightclubs and shopping in the bazaar with a black indomitable. And nice even a trip to the small “Guvercin Adasi” Pigeon Island is now connnected to the mainland by a road. 

Kusadasi offers a wide range of trips in the immediate vicinity . Kusadasi Hotels with modern, luxurious, affordable and ready to welcome you with a wide variety of options Hotels in Kusadasi. 

The most important place to visit the archaeological site of Ephesus is located about 30  minutes by car. Lovers of ancient history, are spoiled for choice.  The visit of the commercial center of Ephesus is one of the spectacular views that can be done in Turkey. Every day, Ephesus Tours organized by several tour companies as group and private ephesus tours from Kusadasi.

Also you can find many detealid informatins with ephesus pitures, ephesus photos and all about kusadasi tours from this source web site: http://www.kusadasi.tv and for Multi Language:  English, German, Greek, Spanish, French, Italian and Danish.

Where is Ephesus ?

Ephesus was one of the largest Ionian cities in Anatolia, at the mouth of the river Caistro and 129 was the capital of the Roman province of Asia.

Among the ruins, making it one of the most famous archaeological sites of the Mediterranean Sea, is worthy of note is the Temple of Domitian, a library and an amphitheater. 

Another Important places for same Region

Distance, near the ruins of the Basilica of St. John built on his grave, you will see the last column of the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the world.

Climbing the hill nightingales, is another important place for Christianity in the Shrine of the Virgin Mary House a “house of Mary” if you feel you have experienced in recent years.

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November 6, 2010

kiyomizu temple, japan, kiyomzu, Kiyomizu dera Temple, japan heritage

Much more popular Kiyomizu Temple (Kiyomizu dera, in Japanese) is, for most of the visitors to Kyoto should do. The main hall, is constructed out of columns. Effect, will extend from the foot of the mountain is the one who was a deck.

C.E. Kiyomizu Derain, was created from several Buddhist temples and the Kiyomizu temple originally dates from the eighth century, must see.

Temple, was founded in 798 CE, and (“Kiyo mizu” means pure water) is called for where a waterfall, which is portrayed on the right.

Deran Kiyomzu best-known view, the main hall is a large patio. He makes wooden ledge on the column, and is an impressive place.

After taking in the view from the porch of the city of Kyoto – down the left – most of the tourist, walking down the waterfall below. Water, are said to have the goods to improve.

In addition to the porch and health, for to horled, Kiyomizu Dera Temple, hoping for luck in love which will bring in visitors. Jishu Jinja sub-temples, located roughly 20 meters separate the two pieces make love. If you could manage to walk together with stones, eyes, closed, you’ll find love – or like the loyal followers, I believe. (Cheating, are still allowed: Pilgrims often they are seen to be taken by the other major.)

In addition to being a world heritage site, Kiyomizu recently as a candidate for a new seven wonders of the world as was delivered.

After a visit to the temple, Sannenzaka’nın come around, resulting in a small shopping street with traditional shops and a wooden house painted. You, that it was not his way past any Michi’nin Nene’s follow this path as you can wind down, Gion’a Kodaiji – the city and enjoy the traditional geisha quarters. Is the way Gojonoto Yasaka, a five-story pagoda.

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November 5, 2010

” – ”

Chichen Itza, maya civilization, mayas, mayan, aztecs, Mexico

Chichen Itza is considered the most important archaeological zone in the Maya region of the world. It is located 149 km from Cancun, the direction of Merida, it extends for about 2.5 km from north to south, and rose at the end of the classical period to the year 900 AD until the beginning of Post Classic in 1200. Rediscovered in 1842, is just the beginning of the century that the restoration of one of its recovery is one of the most important and valuable of the Mayan culture and basically humanity.

El Caracol or Observatory, built in the late classical period, had a camera that has allowed the observation of the vernal equinox. All this must have been fully used in the twentieth century before the arrival of the Itza, indicating the existence of important astronomical knowledge.

A significant number of pilgrimages to the city of Chichen Itza in the Maya region including Palenque, Cozumel, Izamal, there was at that time. These people left a lot of deals that have been discovered in the sacred cenote.

Later, around 1000, arriving Toltecs from central Mexico. They bring to the region the god of the "feathered serpent" known as Quetzalcoatl and referred to as Kukulcan by the Mayas. It is at this moment that the first great blend or mixture of races and cultures that occur between Mayas and Toltecs, creates a very important group that enriches enormously the religion, art and culture in the region.

Adoption of the Mayan language, this group is one of the most powerful of ancient Mexico. Through its highly developed knowledge of natural resources, astronomy, mathematics, painting, sculpture, writing and other human activities, the Maya flourished them in one of the most advanced civilizations of their time.

It is then that the next constructive phase corresponding to the flowering of the Mayan-Toltec performed, represented in the construction of the Great Pyramid of Kukulcan or El Castillo (The Castle), and all major buildings like the Temple of the Warriors The market, the platform of the Jaguars and Eagles and the Ball Game. This whole area is known as Chichen Itza or Toltec, which also includes former Sacred Cenote by means of a well-defined, large Sacbé (path) of El Castillo.

It is a temple dedicated to the Sun, the strong influence of the Toltecs, which was built over a temple in which a minor was a representative of a jaguar throne, on which rested a solar disk made of turquoise and obsidian. It is as if the Sun Temple was only based on the Jaguar.

This important architectural relationship signals a mixture of gods who do not lose their significance for the Maya-Toltec who live together in a form of colonization, it has never been attempted at any other time in human history. Chichen Itza is expanding its power throughout the Yucatan Peninsula to the year 1250, when, although there is a coherent theory, the city was abandoned to become a sanctuary for worship of the god Kukulcan, even long after the Spanish conquest.

In fact, today it remains a sacred place for many people seeking the influence of nature gods who live there. One of the biggest attractions is the observation of the equinoxes in March and 21st September 22. It is then that of a snake from El Castillo can be witnessed.

Similarly, the sound and light show held daily from 8:00 pm is a must for anyone visiting the area.The archeological site open daily from 8 am to 5:00 pm Admission is free on Sundays and are several tours that leave the big cities such as Cancun, Merida, Playa del Carmen and Chetumal or you can go directly with a rental car.

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October 25, 2010

When it comes to the rich historic heritage of the Southwest and the influence it has on the types of jewelry, there are varied designs. The historic heritage of Albuquerque has something to contribute to the jewelry designs that are the most popular today in the Southwest. When you consider the historic significance of Albuquerque jewelry in the trading center background of the town that was founded in 1706, you can see why it became a major trading center for the Native Americans, Spaniards and the African, Asian and Anglo influence is evident. As a major crossroads of the Southwest, there are influences that are evident in the food, architecture, art and Albuquerque jewelry styles you see today.

Of course, when you are traveling the Southwest, the one thing you will notice about Albuquerque jewelry is that the prices are more competitive than the pricey metropolitan center of Santa Fe and the prices on Albuquerque jewelry are more suited to the mixed variety of people that love the historic heritage and trading center background of Albuquerque. It’s not unusual to find all kinds of Native American jewelry craftsmanship in jewelry stores alongside highest quality designer diamonds, such as Varna, ArtCarved, Princess of Hearts, Scott Kay, GemEast, HeartStar and Diana, Sholdt or Mark Schneider.

In fact, these designer names are the same as you will find in the highest quality jewelry stores on Fifth Avenue or Rodeo Drive, but Albuquerque jewelry offers more affordable pricing and it isn’t unusual to find many couples from Santa Fe making the jaunt to Albuquerque jewelry stores because the pricing is more affordable, while the quality of the diamonds and jewelry designs is as good and might be better. It is this rich historic heritage and trading center background that has made Albuquerque one of the top destinations for some of the designer jewelry that is most sought after, including modern top designers, like ELLE, Pandora and Nicole Barr.

When you consider the price advantages that are offered by making a trip to the area, there are many people that still consider it the crossroads of the Southwest and many newly engaged couples will come to the town from hundreds of miles in search of the perfect Albuquerque jewelry and diamonds to commemorate their love or mark a special occasion. In fact, there are some of the jewelry stores and shops that are moving from Santa Fe to be part of the heritage of this historic town on the banks of the Rio Grande.

While the food and ethnic variety of shopping are reasons that people love visiting Albuquerque, the historic heritage of this lively Southwest trading center offers Native American dances, jewelry and pottery, and many modern Albuquerque jewelry designs and diamond choices that rival those found in New York or Los Angeles, but at prices that are more conservative.

When looking for one of the Southwest’s most popular towns with ethnic heritage and historic significance, Albuquerque remains a popular trading post town and the historic heritage mixes the finest top-quality diamonds with jewelry by modern top designers that can be found in the Albuquerque jewelry stores, like Butterfield Jewelers on San Pedro NE in Albuquerque.

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May 18, 2010

For a quarter of a century, two archaeologists and their team slogged through wild tropical vegetation to investigate and map the remains of one of the largest Maya cities, in Central America. Slow, sweaty hacking with machetes seemed to be the only way to discover the breadth of an ancient urban landscape now hidden beneath a dense forest canopy.

Even the new remote-sensing technologies, so effective in recent decades at surveying other archaeological sites, were no help. Imaging radar and multispectral surveys by air and from space could not “see” through the trees.
Then, in the dry spring season a year ago, the husband-and-wife team of Arlen F. Chase and Diane Z. Chase tried a new approach using airborne laser signals that penetrate the jungle cover and are reflected from the ground below. They yielded 3-D images of the site of ancient Caracol, in Belize, one of the great cities of the Maya lowlands.
In only four days, a twin-engine aircraft equipped with an advanced version of lidar (light detection and ranging) flew back and forth over the jungle and collected data surpassing the results of two and a half decades of on-the-ground mapping, the archaeologists said. After three weeks of laboratory processing, the almost 10 hours of laser measurements showed topographic detail over an area of 80 square miles, notably settlement patterns of grand architecture and modest house mounds, roadways and agricultural terraces.
“We were blown away,” Dr. Diane Chase said recently, recalling their first examination of the images. “We believe that lidar will help transform Maya archaeology much in the same way that radiocarbon dating did in the 1950s and interpretations of Maya hieroglyphs did in the 1980s and ’90s.”
The Chases, who are professors of anthropology at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, had determined from earlier surveys that Caracol extended over a wide area in its heyday, between A.D. 550 and 900. From a ceremonial center of palaces and broad plazas, it stretched out to industrial zones and poor neighborhoods and beyond to suburbs of substantial houses, markets and terraced fields and reservoirs.
This picture of urban sprawl led the Chases to estimate the city’s population at its peak at more than 115,000. But some archaeologists doubted the evidence warranted such expansive interpretations.
“Now we have a totality of data and see the entire landscape,” Dr. Arlen Chase said of the laser findings. “We know the size of the site, its boundaries, and this confirms our population estimates, and we see all this terracing and begin to know how the people fed themselves.”
The Caracol survey was the first application of the advanced laser technology on such a large archaeological site. Several journal articles describe the use of lidar in the vicinity of Stonehenge in England and elsewhere at an Iron Age fort and American plantation sites. Only last year, Sarah H. Parcak of the University of Alabama at Birmingham predicted, “Lidar imagery will have much to offer the archaeology of the rain forest regions.”
The Chases said they had been unaware of Dr. Parcak’s assessment, in her book “Satellite Remote Sensing for Archaeology” (Routledge, 2009), when they embarked on the Caracol survey. They acted on the recommendation of a Central Florida colleague, John F. Weishampel, a biologist who had for years used airborne laser sensors to study forests and other vegetation.
Dr. Weishampel arranged for the primary financing of the project from the little-known space archaeology program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The flights were conducted by the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping, operated by the University of Florida and the University of California, Berkeley.
Other archaeologists, who were not involved in the research but were familiar with the results, said the technology should be a boon to explorations, especially ones in the tropics, with its heavily overgrown vegetation, including pre-Columbian sites throughout Mexico and Central America. But they emphasized that it would not obviate the need to follow up with traditional mapping to establish “ground truth.”
Jeremy A. Sabloff, a former director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and now president of the Santa Fe Institute in New Mexico, said he wished he had had lidar when he was working in the Maya ruins at Sayil, in Mexico.
The new laser technology, Dr. Sabloff said, “would definitely have speeded up our mapping, given us more details and would have enabled us to refine our research questions and hypotheses much earlier in our field program than was possible in the 1980s.”
At first, Payson D. Sheets, a University of Colorado archaeologist, was not impressed with lidar. A NASA aircraft tested the laser system over his research area in Costa Rica, he said, “but when I saw it recorded the water in a lake sloping at 14 degrees, I did not use it again.”
Now, after examining the imagery from Caracol, Dr. Sheets said he planned to try lidar, with its improved technology, again. “I was stunned by the crisp precision and fine-grained resolution,” he said.
“Finally, we have a nondestructive and rapid means of documenting the present ground surface through heavy vegetation cover,” Dr. Sheets said, adding, “One can easily imagine, given the Caracol success, how important this would be in Southeast Asia, with the Khmer civilization at places like Angkor Wat.”
In recent reports at meetings of Mayanists and in interviews, the Chases noted that previous remote-sensing techniques focused more on the discovery of archaeological sites than on the detailed imaging of on-ground remains. The sensors could not see through much of the forest to resolve just how big the ancient cities had been. As a consequence, archaeologists may have underestimated the scope of Mayan accomplishments.

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May 13, 2010

Mayan civilization is one of America pre-Columbian civilization. The Mayan civilization of Central America as a civilization thousands of years in the southeast of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala in an area extending ruled.  Mexico’s southeastern five-state founded by Maya (Campeche, Chiapas, Quintana Roo, Tabasco and Yucatán), the dates for hundreds polish have produced and polish some of today still spoken 21-44 Maya language formation has provided. BC this civilization 600 due to the rise in the past, Anno Domini 3. century to the golden age (the classical period, AD 250-900) was a step, the political turmoil of the city-state has collapsed as a result of MS 900, until the existence of a large area and at the end of Spanish occupation was in the process. , if the Mayan civilization ended in many ways, contrary to common belief, is not no Mayans still live in this country and some of the Mayan languages are spoken.

“Ancient Maya” s (Maya point compared to today’s descendants used phrase), astronomy, mathematics, architecture and art at such an advanced level of civilization in many areas, they are. Rabinal Achim, Popol-Vuh, the Mayan Chilam Balam in such works of literature depicting the life of this culture is. 1697 Spanish occupation of the capital of the Mayan Itza Tayasal’ın  and the capital of Guatemala’s Mayan Ko’woj Zacpetén’in completed by taking the last Maya state of the capital in 1901 (Chan Santa Cruz)  has disappeared with the invasion by Mexico.

It is divided into three regions of the yeast home: South of the “Upper Lands” ı south (or the middle) “The Lands” and the north of the “Lower Lands” ı. “Upper Land” in Guatemala and Chiapas territory includes a high-altitude level. The lands south of the above “Land” takes place just north of Mexico Petén’i (Campeche), Quintana Roo’yu, northern Guatemala, Belize and El Salvador covers. Norton’s “The Land” the Yucatan   Peninsula and the rest covers Puuc expand hill.

Classic-month period from the extraordinary structures built and Nakbé, Mirador, San Bartolo, mercury, such as large cities have set up the Mayan classic period, they set up the famous city of some of Tikal, Quiriguá (both World Heritage List was taken) , Palenque, Copán, Río Azul, Calakmul, Ceibal, Cancuén, Machaquilá, Dos Pilas, Uaxactún, Altun Ha, Negras’tır Piedras. Religious center of Maya civilization in the most interesting monuments are the pyramids. The administrator of the palace, decorated with wall paintings and plaster houses of noble people among the interesting monuments are located. One of the interesting work in Maya, they operate with master stone sculpture, manager of the genealogy, military victories have been described, by Maya tetum (“tree-stones”), called monumental obelisks. Jade trade between the goods of yeast, cocoa, corn, salt, and obsidian stone can be considered. Yeast, such as front-Turks gave special importance to the jade stone.

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April 18, 2010

1200 B.C.-250 A.D.

Preclassic Small sedentary villages followed by development of monumentality and larger centers.

ca. 600-900 B.C.

Earliest known habitation at Caracol.

ca. A.D. 70

Structure A6-1st, “Temple of the Wooden Lintel,” constructed and consecrated; locus B34 burial; full Maya ritual complex present at Caracol.

ca. A.D. 150

Elaborate burial placed in Structure B34 locus.

A.D. 250-900

Classic “Peak” of Maya civilization; pyramids, tombs, inscriptions, widespread trade; by A.D. 800 Maya “collapse” is underway.

A.D. 331

Caracol Royal dynasty “officially” founded.

ca. A.D. 480

Unknown ruler’s tomb placed in Structure D16.

A.D. 531

Accession of Lord Water’s predecessor.

A.D. 537

Use of initial tomb in Structure B20-3rd.

A.D. 553

Accession of Caracol Ruler Lord Water.

A.D. 556

“Axe-Event” involving Tikal.

A.D. 562

“Star-War” defeat of Tikal by Caracol.

A.D. 575

Birth of Smoke Ahau.

A.D. 577

One of three tombs in Structure B20-2nd used.

A.D. 577 or 582

Front tomb in Structure A34 consecrated.

A.D. 588

Birth of Caracol Ruler Kan II.

A.D. 599

Accession of Caracol Lord Smoke Ahau.

A.D. 614

Tomb in Structure L3-2nd covered.

A.D. 618

Accession of Kan II.

A.D. 626-636

Naranjo wars; major expansion of Caracol follows.

A.D. 634

Woman’s tomb in Structure B19-2nd closed.

A.D. 658

Accession of Caracol Ruler Smoke Skull; Death of Kan II.

A.D. 680

Naranjo’s war of independence.

A.D. 696

Tomb in Structure A3-1st covered.

A.D. 702

Capture of Ixkun lord noted on Stela 21.

A.D. 800

Capture of 3 prisoners, including Ucanal lord, by Caracol Ruler Hok K’awil or his underlings.

A.D. 859

Last recorded date at Caracol on Stela 10.

A.D. 900-1500

Postclassic Most major sites located away from Classic Period centers, but near water. Sites are generally characterized by low-lying as opposed to monumental architecture.

ca. A.D. 1050

Last use of Caracol Structure A6; Caracol totally abandoned.

A.D. 1500-present

“Historic” Europeans arrive in the New World; most native Maya populations disseminated by disease; others disrupted by warfare and forced population movements. Native populations still comprise over 50% of Guatemala and Yucatan.

*Timeline revised from A. Chase and D. Chase 1996

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March 26, 2010

Of all the awesome Belize Maya sites, Caracol would have to be one of the top in terms of importance and grandeur. This once great Mayan city-state from the Maya Classic era is one of the countrys largest archaeological sites, and it also boasts the tallest manmade structure in the land. Caracol, or El Caracol as it is locally known, rests in the foothills of Belizes Maya Mountains at an elevation of around 1,500 feet. In Spanish, El Caracol means “the snail”, and its not entirely clear as to this why this appellation was applied. This largest of Belize Maya sites is just 25 miles south of San Ignacio, which is the capital of the tourist-friendly Cayo District, and you can easily organize tours to this, and other ancient Maya sites in the region. There is a nice picnic area at the entrance site for the Caracol Belize ruins, so you might pack a lunch for the trip. If you want to drive here yourself, its a good idea to rent a 4×4 vehicle, especially during the June-December wet season.

Like other ancient Maya sites in Belize, El Caracol was long- inhabited before large-scale construction began. Its believed that the first Maya settlers here arrived as early as 1200 BC. It wasnt until the Maya Classic era (300-800 AD) that the bulk of the significant building went on here. The sequence of past El Caracol rulers is traced through evidence linked to more than 40 structures that were built between the years 485-889 AD. El Caracol was without question one of the largest cities in the ancient Mayan world, and its estimated that at its peak, some 180,000 people may have lived in or near town. There is evidence to believe that Caracol may have conquered Tikal in 562 AD, and this year certainly coincides with the beginning of what is known as the Tikal Mid-Classic Hiatus. While Caracols population and consistent sprawl increased at this time, Tikal saw a significant decline in its population and monument construction. Visiting both El Caracol and Tikal today lends so much insight into how the ancient Maya lived. It also reveals just how advanced their building and artistry skills were.

Youll certainly want to consider dropping in on Caracol when thinking about which Belize Maya sites to visit, if not for the Caana alone. At just under 140 feet tall, the Caana is Caracols main temple-pyramid, and atop it you will find 3 smaller temples. Numerous small structures can be observed on a Caracol tour, and youll enjoy wandering about the three main plazas. There are two separate ball courts that youll want to take notice of, and its always a good idea to drop in on the Visitors Center. Besides getting pertinent information on the site at the VC, you can check out the collection of Maya artifacts, among which is an intriguing ceremonial altar. Unlike other significant ancient Maya sites like Tikal and Xunantunich, Caracol still remains largely un-excavated. In recent years, however, the focus has been to make Caracol one of the top Maya attractions in the country. Dry season excavations are aimed at recovering more of El Caracol from the jungle bit by bit, and increased trails and information signs are in the works for the area. Interestingly enough, Caracol is found within the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, which is a joy for Nature-lovers to explore. The gigantic Ceiba trees here are certainly bound to mesmerize.

Should you plan a visit to the Caracol Belize ruins, you might also consider a few side trips to some of the other interesting destinations in the area. Western Belize, and namely the Cayo District, is known for having the best Belize caves to explore. Close to Caracol, the Rio Frio Cave is one of the easiest ones to reach and explore, and you dont even need a flashlight during the day. Swimming, hiking, picnicking, and just having a good time is usually part of the deal at Rio on Pools, which is close enough to El Caracol to toss into the plans. The natural, granite-boulder pools here are certainly refreshing, and sliding down the smoothed rock waterfalls is a blast. Caracol is open seven days a week, and there is a small fee to enter. Admission is reportedly free on Sundays, and overall, it doesnt seem to get too crowded here very often, which is a nice bonus. This might begin to change, however, as word gets out about how great of a destination El Caracol is.

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• About Caracol
• Maya Prehistory and Caracol
• Description of Words
• For the archaeological work in and around Caracol

March 25, 2010

Caracol or El Caracol is the name given to a large ancient Maya archaeological site, located in what is now the Cayo District of Belize. It is situated approximately 25 miles south of Xunantunich  and the town of San Ignacio Cayo, at an elevation of 1500 feet (460 m) above sea-level, in the foothills of the Maya Mountains. The site was the most important political centre of Lowland Maya during the Classic Period within Belize.

Discovery

The site was first reported by a native logger named Rosa Mai, who came across its remains in 1937 while searching for mahogany hardwood trees to exploit. Mai later reported the site to the archaeological commission for British Honduras, as the British colony, later to become independent Belize, was known at the time. In 1938 the archaeological commissioner, A.H. Anderson, visited the site along with a colleague H.B. Jex, spending two weeks in preliminary surveys and noting a number of carved monuments, stelae and Maya inscriptions. It was Anderson who gave the site its name —from the Spanish: caracol “snail, shell”, but more generally meaning spiral- or volute-shaped— apparently on account of the winding access road that led to the site.[1]

History

Ancient Caracol as a site was occupied as early as 1200 BCE. Its greatest period of construction was in the Maya Classic period, with over 40 monuments dated between 485CE to 889CE which record the dynastic sequence of the rulers. All are in Classic Choltian, the prestige tongue of the Lowland Maya. Its real name is provisionally translated from its glyph, as of 2003, ox witz ha (hispanicised, “Oxhuitza”) or “place of three hills”; K’antumaak is also possible.[2]

The town grew into 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.

Caracol was at first a client of Mutal (at the Tikal site) 70 km to the northwest. Mutal’s influence weakened during the mid sixth century; losing control of Naranjo, between the two cities, to rival Calakmul. In 553 CE Mutal’s king Double Bird appointed a new lord over Caracol in attempt to outflank Naranjo. But then Caracol also allied itself with Calakmul. Three years later, Tikal declared an “axe war” against Caracol – “a war with intent to destroy” – and defeated it; but not, it turned out, decisively. In 562, Lord Kan (“Water”) I of Caracol, alongside Calakmul, declared a “star war” against Mutal – a holy war, planned in accordance with astrology – and captured and sacrificed Double Bird. This event is seemingly concurrent with archaeological and epigraphic evidence indicating the beginning of the Tikal Mid-Classic Hiatus, when an apparent decline in the Tikal site’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.[4] After that, the Tikal site took on cultural characteristics of Caracol.

Lord Kan I passed on his throne to the eldest of two brothers 26 June, 599. His younger brother succeeded him 9 March 618 and took the name Lord Kan II. He performed a ritual of alliance in Calakmul’s territory the following January.

Caracol’s sometime ally Naranjo by this time had meanwhile made feelers toward Mutal. So, in 28 May 626, Lord Kan II pre-emptively attacked Naranjo. He attacked again 4 May 627, and sacrificed its king. This destabilised Naranjo, provoking a third attack 27 December 631. He did it a fourth time 4 March 636. On 24 November 637, he capped it off by celebrating his first katun of reign at Naranjo itself; and, on 6 December 642, he imposed the Hieroglyphic Stairs monument upon it.

In 682, Tok-Chan-K’awil of the Tikal royal family-in-exile at Dos Pilas installed his daughter as queen in Naranjo, removing it again from Caracol’s demesne. In 800 CE, Hok K’awil captured the lord of Ucanal. The last recorded date in Caracol (and Choltian-speaking Belize) is 859 CE, on Stele 10.

Excavations, investigations, and modern development

The site was first noted and documented in archaeological terms in 1937. More extensive explorations and documention of the site was undertaken by Linton Satterthwaite of 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.

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• Maya Prehistory and Caracol
• History of Caracol
• Calakmul Mayan ruins-Campeche, Mexico
• Description of Words