A Temple In The Heart Of The Site at Altun Ha
“Rock Stone Pond”, this is the translation of Altun Ha. Its a very special site that site not too far from the Caribbean Sea about 30 miles north of Belize City. The site is one of the main attractions for Belizean’s and guests visiting Belize and staying in Belize City. Smooth access makes it so easy to get to and for everyone who visits, its a cultural treat for those who like culture and treats!
The Green Temple In The B Plaza At Altun Ha
This site was one of the smaller sites found in Belize and the central part of the site proves that while small, the city’s rulers had means. Tombs have been found in this city that prove that the elite of the city had resources to invest in exotic goods such as jade and obsidian that were imported goods as they are from volcanic sources and Belize does not have any volcanoes.
Temple Of The Masonry Altars From A Distance
The forest around Altun Ha, at the time of the ancient Maya, was rich with all types of wildlife. Today a village sits around its periphery and villagers still tell of game in the forests such as peccaries, deer (brocket and white tail), ocellated turkeys, bush rabbits and agouti paca (gibnut) a local rodent delicacy. So, this can possibly mean that the ancient Maya had a rich source of protein from the forest available to them too.
We can also agree that a part of the trade that the people of Altun Ha may have organized was salt. Being not far from the sea, salt would have been a tremendous resource to trade inland along with salted sea food. After all, the inland parts of the country where another huge population of Maya lived would have needed salt, not as a luxury but as a source of health.
Today, the pond in “Rock Stone Pond” is still there. Its a pond that has its base lined with yellow clay which certainly was necessary to collect fresh water and it still holds water today. We endorse a visit to this ancient city which once had a population of perhaps 15,000 people. Its a cultural treat and a city that produced the largest carved jade art piece in the Maya World, the Jade Head – a carved chunk of jade weighing 9.9 pounds and its design was that of the sun god “Kinich Ahau”.
Its time to come to Belize!