Caracol - Belize. Classic Maya Period.

 

Some years ago I attended a talk at the Institute of Maya Studies in Miami given by the
animated archaeological team of Arlen and Diane Chase. I was so intrigued by work they
had done at Caracol, in Central Belize, that I had to visit this place. Caracol was
discovered by loggers of the precious ‘Mahogany’ tree in the 1930’s and remained
overgrown and inaccessible for some time.

The Chases excavated the core area of the site in the 1980’s and early 90’s. They
concluded that at the peak of its power, Caracol was rivaled only by Tikal in the Peten
jungle of today’s Guatemala and Calakmul, a little further north in Southern Mexico.

In 1993, I visited with my good friend, Mr. Bob Jones of ‘Eva’s Restaurant’ in San Ignacio,
who arranged a four/wheel drive truck with driver, food and petrol for our journey. The trip
took several hours and the road was muddy and slippery, but not impassable. The trip
was a little rough, but overall quite safe. At that time, one needed permission to travel to
the site and there was no public transportation in that direction.

Along the way, we stopped at the Forestry Station at Mountain Pine Ridge, an area that is
reminiscent of Colorado’s pine woods. It is from here that you can view the vast expanse
of the Chiquibul Rain Forest, a massive valley surrounded by the distant Maya Mountains.

Arriving at the epicenter of Caracol, we found a massive structure named ’Caana’ (Sky
Place), the largest structure ever built in Belize to this date. I climbed to the top and felt
lost in history…the view was awesome. In an attempt to escape yet another afternoon
downpour, I found refuge inside a tomb several hundred yards away. Inside, it was damp
and eerie and I was soaked. I pulled out my sketchbook. I was surrounded by the forest
canopy: the trees were gigantic, several were adorned with orchids and vines, Howler
monkeys were cavorting and everywhere there were colonies of butterflies. I sensed that
I was being watched from the jungle by other creatures. The site guard had told me that two
nights prior to our visit, a jaguar had been distinctly heard in the immediate vicinity,
roaming about in the tall grasses.

I slept that night in the cab of the truck and in the early morning, as the mist hung over
the ground, I could hear birds of all descriptions begin their morning chorus. I set out to
find another structure to draw before leaving this magical place.