Altun-Ha and Belize City Overview

Escape the large buses and the crowds that come on them on the Altun-Ha and Belize City excursion. As you drive for approximately 1 hour through the countryside to reach the site, your Belize tour guide will tell you of the mysterious and mystical Mayans. The Altun-Ha (Mayan for stone water) area was first populated in 1000 B.C. and the city was expanded in A.D. 700. It is believed to have had a population of 3,000. Many high-status items, including jade recovered at the site, indicate the city was home to many wealthy citizens. Structure B4 revealed a richly furnished tomb of one of Altun-Ha's rulers, and among its contents is the largest jadeite sculpture yet found. It represents Kinich Ahau, the Mayan sun god. Weighing in at almost nine pounds, this has been Belize's most valuable find to date. Other tombs contained jadeite objects as well. Excavations indicate that this center was part of a trade network that reached from the Caribbean coast to the central lowlands of Guatemala. The site covers an area of about five square miles. The central square mile of the site has remains of around 500 structures, the largest of which, the Temple of the Masonry Altars, is 54 feet high. After your Altun-Ha tour, you will travel back to Belize City where you will see historical sites such as St. John's Cathedral, where Kings from the Mosquito Coast were crowned, and the colonial mansion once occupied by British governors. This Belize excursion concludes at the Belize Tourism Village.