Part 9, Altun Ha

We left Belize City in the early afternoon on March 12th with the plan to drive 30 miles north to the ruins at Altun Ha before returning to Yo Creek.  Altun Ha would be our third and final Mayan ruin of the trip and we were all anxious to see the specific ruin that is on the Belikin beer label, the Temple of the Masonry Altars. 

The drive out the Old Northern Highway to Altun Ha was nearly as bumpy as the roads in Yo Creek with the road being more pothole than pavement.  When we arrived we were immediately hit with the heat and humidity.  Luckily the overcast skies offered some relief from the burning sun and an occasional breeze cooled things even more though not a single rain drop fell.  We were immediately approached by a man who introduced himself as John (Juan) who offered his services as a tour guide.  We seemed to be the last tourists of the day as a group of school children were leaving and heading back to their bus.

John was a native of Belize but from the southern area of the Stann Creek District.  He gave us our first real taste of the Creole language.  He told us how he ended up in northern Belize after meeting a girl (of course) who he fell in love with.  Though he was the same age as me, he had three sons the oldest being 12.  He asked me how old I was and I told him that the next day I would be 33.  From that point, the tour was focused around my birthday and getting the perfect photo for me.  Brian was the focus of John's teasing and he took it all in good stride.  We weren't sure how much of what John told us was really accurate but he did offer a very entertaining tour. 

My own research taught me that "Altun Ha" is a modern name in the Maya language, which basically translates to the name of the nearby village of Rockstone Pond. The ancient name is still unknown.  The site covers an area of about 5 square miles. The central square mile of the site has remains of about 500 structures.

Most of the construction took place during the Maya Classic era, c. 200 to 900 AD, when the site may have had a population of about 100,000 people. About 900 AD there was some looting of elite tombs of the site, possibly because of a peasant revolt against the site's rulers. The site remained populated for about another century after that, but with no new major structures built during that time. After this the population dwindled, with a moderate surge of reoccupation in the 20th century before declining again to a small agricultural village.

Stones from the ancient structures were reused for residential construction of the more modern agricultural village of Rockstone Pond, but the ancient site did not come to the attention of archeologists until 1945, when the existence of a sizable ancient site was recognized from the air by pilot and amateur Mayanist Hal Ball.

Starting in 1965 an archeological team lead by Dr. David Pendergast of the Royal Ontario Museum began extensive excavations and restorations of the site, which continued through 1970. Among the discoveries is a large (almost 10 pounds) piece of jade elaborately carved into an image of the head of the Maya sun god, Kinich Ahau. This jade head is considered one of the national treasures of Belize.  Our tour guide, John, claimed to have even been part of an excavation in the 90's.

A climb to the top of the Temple of the Masonry Altars gives an amazing panorama of the site and over the treetops of the jungle. This temple went through eight phases of construction (usually each phase occured when a ruler was interred in the tomb) and the round altar at the top is unique to this site. It was the focus of an unusual sacrificial ceremony in which copal (incense) and beautiful jade carvings were offered into a blazing fire. As far as historians know, there were no human sacrifices at Altun Ha. John insisted that I act out a human sacrifice on Brian just for fun atop the round altar.

One of many structures that has not been fully excavated.

One of four temples that surround the main plaza, from the top of this small temple we had some great views of Plaza A and other structures.

The Temple of the Masonry Altars.

A strangler fig taking over another tree.

A view across Plaza A.

Most of Plaza A with Plaza B in the distance.

Sarah, Brian and Dave with the Temple of the Masonry Altars in the background.

The Browders in Belize.

I will smoosh your head!

Brian

Sarah and Brian

Carvings on the temples depicted Mayan gods.

John told us that he helped to excavated this particular mask in the 90's.

The Temple of the Masonry Altars.

Brian and I at the side of the Temple of the Masonry Altars.

John insisted we "act" like we are happily married.

Looking down from the Temple of the Masonry Altars.

Roger and Janet atop a temple.

John telling us about Altun Ha.

The sacrifice.

He's a goner!

Another of John's photo set-ups.

Side of the Temple of Masonry Altars.

A large tree nearly done in by a strangler fig.

The sunset on the way back to Yo Creek.

Kevin Frasure, Peace Corps Volunteer.

When we arrived back in Yo Creek we met Kevin Frasure who is the current Peace Corps Volunteer in the village (a job George had some 20 years ago).  We learned that Kevin had been in Belize about 7 months and acts as the youth development volunteer at one of the schools in their computer lab.  We also learned that he grew up in Hamilton, Ohio just north of Cincinnati and then lived for five years in Fort Collins, Colorado while he attended Colorado State.  Kevin was great to visit with and filled us in on his experiences in Belize.  It also seemed that he was very excited to have company from the states.  He also really enjoyed dinner that Lorena made for us and told us that villagers have taken him in and often feed him.  You can follow Kevin's adventures in Belize on his blog http://www.frasure7.blogspot.com/ .