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Published: February 10th 2009
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After staying nearly a week in the Cayo District we drove the Hummingbird Highway towards the coast. Just west of Dangriga (Stann Creek Town) we followed the Southern Highway into the district of Toledo to visit some of the ancient Mayan cities of southern Belize. This drive could easily be done in half a day were it not for Belizean road conditions; pot holes, ruts, single lanes, construction, soft dirt roads, and intermittent pavement.
Nim Li Punit was the first archaeological site we visited in Toledo District. The name means “Big Hat” and is due to one of the stela found on site which portrays one of the ancient leaders wearing what resembles a quite big hat. Nim Li Punit rose and fell between 700 and 900 CE. This ancient city is situated on a ridge in the foothills of the Maya Mountains. The site consists of three groups of structures, two of which are accessible to visitors. At Nim Li Punit there is a stela plaza, a ball court, tombs, and a small collection of structures.
After Nim Li Punit we drove to the coastal town of Punta Gorda. The people were very friendly at
Punta Gorda, but we saw no other reason to stay. There is no beach to speak of and lodging was expensive. On our way to Punta Gorda we saw a number of lodging options and so decided to head out of town and from this point onward we were travelling to the north and towards home.
We ended up at Cuxlin Ha or “Living Water” Resort because their sign at the highway said they offered hostel type accommodations. Cuxlin Ha functions as a resort and retirement village situated within a growing Mayan community. The American expat owners provide interest free loans to local Mayans to build homes as well as work to help repay the loans. Cuxlin Ha offers tours to the cayes, the reef, archaeological sites, caves, farms and more. Cuxlin Ha is an amazing place with incredible people and endless opportunities. Check out their website for more information; www.cuxlinha.com
The archaeological sites of Uxbenka and Lubaantun were the last ancient Mayan sites we visited while in Southern Belize.
Uxbenka, which means “Old Place”, was a ruin site in the strictest sense of the word. None of the structures at this site have
been excavated so what visitors see are large mounds covered with dirt, rocks and vegetation. There are also some stelae lying broken and covered in moss. Although there are no grand pyramids, replica stelae or altars at Uxbenka, it is worth a visit to appreciate the difference between archaeological sites before excavation, restoration and preservation, and those thereafter.
Lubaantun is a site that flourished from 700 to 850 CE. During pre-Hispanic times Lubaantun harvested cash crops for trade with other ancient cities. Lubaantun has a series of structures and plazas situated between three ball courts as well as a visitor center featuring stelae from the site. One impressive feature about Lubaantun is that the structures there were built without mortar and instead were constructed with precisely cut and fit stones.
Our next stop was the coastal town of Hopkins located just south of Dangriga in Stan Creek District. Hopkins was a nice small town with friendly people, good food, well priced accommodations and one of the few beaches along the Belize coast. We stayed at Jeanie’s Jungle at the south end of town. Jeanie’s Jungle has a restaurant and offers cabanas between $50 and $120 or
camping for $10; all on the beach.
When we arrived to Hopkins the sun was shining and there was a strike by the sugar cane farmers turning bad quickly in Orange Walk on the only highway out of Belize. We figured we would stay a couple of nights in Hopkins to enjoy the beach and allow sufficient time for the strike situation to settle down. The sugar cane strike escalated in one afternoon from blocked roadways to police firing live rounds and a government order to cease the sale of alcohol throughout Orange Walk.
The next morning the weather was not good for lounging on the beach and the strike had been contained, so we left Hopkins and continued north.
Altun Ha is a small archaeological site located a short distance down a rough road off the Northern Highway between Belize and Orange Walk. Altun Ha was settled by the ancient Maya as early as 200 BCE and continued to be occupied until 1200 to 1400 CE. The archaeological site features one collection of structures surrounding two plazas. Most major construction occurred at Altun Ha circa 100 CE.
From Altun Ha we
drove north to Corozal Town. On the south side of Corozal Town and along the coast there are a string of nice hotels overlooking the bay. We stayed at the Corozal Bay Inn, a very nice hotel with restaurant, pool, parking and cabana type rooms for $50 per night. This was a very cheap price for such a nice place; we found out why the next morning when we woke up with bed bug bites all over our bodies! Nasty!! Time to go; now!!!
We left the bed bugs behind (hot showers, then shook out, inspected and re-packed everything) and drove to Cerros, an archaeological ruin site located on the bay opposite of Corozal Town. To get there requires driving down another rough Belizean road and crossing a river on a car ferry; about 45 minutes to an hour for the commute. Cerros, or “Maya Hill”, consists of two partially restored structures and many more unexcavated and not restored. One structure features three giant stucco masks; the stucco and paint are modern and were put in place to protect the originals underneath while also demonstrating how the originals would have looked during pre-Hispanic times. There is also a
trail leading to some of the unexcavated structures at Cerros; appropriately referred to as “Mosquito Trail”! Do not attempt this trail without serious application of bug repellant!
Out of the bed bugs, out of the mosquito trail, and now it was time to head out of Belize.
Corozal Town is less than an hour drive to the border between Belize and Mexico. Leaving Belize was quick and easy; immigration, customs, immigration, pay $37.50 per person, and done. Re-entering Mexico was equally quick and easy; basically stop by the office to say we were back, no charge, and done. The only complicated thing was that between the two borders is a duty free zone and casino, but we just kept driving until we saw the border control (only a matter of about a minute).
It is incredible to realize through a newly acquired frame of reference how well Mexico is doing and how much more advanced Mexico is in comparison to Central American countries.
Seriously impressive; kudos indeed!
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