CARACOL: A GREAT BELIZEAN FAMILY ADVENTURE

Photo by Rowam Emriquez

Located in the Cayo District between Belize’s western border and the Chiquibul National Park is the Belize’s most spectacular Mayan site: Caracol.  It is home to one of the highest structures in Belize. Not only is Caracol the most prominent archeological site in Belize, but this ancient citadel was one of the largest and most influential ancient Mayan cities.

Today, Caracol is probably the most impressive and well-maintained Mayan site in Belize, with almost twenty-five thousand acres of vegetation that contributes positively to the overall experience.

Two weeks before the Easter break, my mom called my cousin Violet to tell her that she had made arrangements to go to Caracol on Easter Sunday and wanted to know if she would be interested. Cousin Violet was ecstatic. “Of course! You know how long I want go deh?!” As for me, I had visited  before and disliked the long drive there; nonetheless, I was excited to go.

Entrance to the site is free for Belizeans, which was a plus. There are several ways to get to Caracol: by private transportation, through group excursions, or by hiring a local tour operator. My brothers had a friend who was a  tour guide, , so they contacted him, and he readily accepted.

On Easter Sunday morning, we woke up early and set out on our three-hour journey from San Ignacio. There was lush, natural vegetation along the Cristo Rey Road and San Antonio village. Then farms with crops and cattle could be seen, while tall green mountains lay in the distance. Along the streets in both villages were small bright corner shops and vendors selling fruit. Finally, we were traversing dusty, unpaved roads, which indicated that we had left the villages behind and were getting closer to our destination as, outside the villages, only forests could be seen.

When we finally arrived at Caracol, we were met by tall trees whose canopies hid bright blue skies and a sign that said “Welcome to Caracol” with deep pink ginger lilies behind it. We got out of the van and informed the rangers of our purpose.  Since that reserve is close to the border, it is heavily manned by BDF soldiers.

Led by John, we all  proceeded up the trail to the first temple. As he pointed out, medicinal plants and fruit trees were located along this trail. The path was also covered with tiny colorful pebbles and red dirt. Up in the tree canopy sat birds I had never seen before with varied calls. Some squawked, others warbled, and others chirped sweetly.

The first monument we encountered was the temple of the Wooden Lintel, which is said to be the oldest building in Caracol. Next was  Plaza B, and here is where you encounter Caana, the tallest temple at Caracol at about 140 feet in height. Caana means sky palace in Maya, so you can see why it was named that. I must say, if you aren’t fit, I do not recommend you climb this temple. My younger cousins and I decided to challenge it, and halfway up, I found myself huffing and puffing. At this point, we could see the border between Belize and Guatemala. It was an incredible sight to behold. Although this was my second time seeing this, all I could do was stand there in awe. My little cousin Grace stood there and said, “Wow!” her eyes got big and glossy, and I honestly could not blame her. On our side, you could see miles and miles of land with different shades of green, the dips of the valleys, the deep green sleepy mountains in the distance, and a clear blue sky. In contrast, however, on the Guatemalan side, the miles of territory that could be seen was brown, with little to no natural vegetation.

When we came down, my legs were wobbly, and I told myself I’d never do that again.

Photo by Rowan Enriquez

After I took some pictures, soaking all the ambient beauty into my senses, we continued on. We encountered smaller temple ruins, a Pok Ta Pok court, which was once used by the Mayas to play a game similar to what we now call "football," and deep holes, which were once graves for the nobles. Around one of the graves stood several tall trees with strange-looking nests hanging from the them. The nest, long and of a light shade of brown, were made of neatly woven  twigs and pieces of palm forming a basket. We all stood there wondering what these were all about until the owners of the nests came around, and all kinds of quarrelling ensued between female and male birds. Let me tell you, these birds are majestic-looking with their brown-orange feathers  and heads colored black with a strip of white. Their beaks are bright orange, while the tip of their tail is bright yellow. They have a distinctly beautiful, almost mystical-sounding call. It is a sight and sound that you have to

experience for yourself to understand why we were so awed by them.

In the afternoon, we were finally done roaming around and soaking up all the wonders of Caracol. We took out the food we had brought and sat down to enjoy a delicious family meal at the picnic tables near the exit. Afterwards, as we relaxed a bit then proceed to clean the area. I looked around and took a mental picture of the site and our family time there, not wanting to forget it.

I thoroughly enjoyed my second visit to Caracol and the beautiful things we experienced at this once-upon-a-time vibrant Mayan city center.  I highly recommend a visit to Caracol . It should be on the bucket list of every Belizean family.

Photo by Will Moreno

Rowan Enriquez majored in Social Work at the

University of Belize. She lives in San Ignacio and enjoys reading and baking in her free time.