Ruins Archaeological Sites

Belize: Maya Ruins & Archaeological Sites You Don't Want to Miss
By Laura J. Howard

Lamanai - lah-mah-NA-I - (North central Belize)

Maya for “submerged crocodile” (loose translation)

Lamanai is located on the west bank of the New River Lagoon in Northern Belize. The Maya were the primary inhabitants of the area but there was also Spanish and British occupation. This ancient Maya city has an amazing occupational span of over 3,000 years. This is one of the most unique features of the site since many Classic period city-states suffered from a decline starting around AD 850. Lamanai continues to thrive during this time as archaeological investigation by D. Pendergast (1981) indicates. He shows that there is enough presence at Lamanai at this time to warrant fairly large-scale buildings to be both improved and newly constructed.

The population estimate for the site at its peak is approximately 50,000 Maya residents both in the main site center as well as the periphery. The site was mapped during the original excavations and approximately 720 structures were located, more then likely there are closer to 900 structures. The dynastic history of Lamanai has been a bit difficult to discern due to the existence of only one stela. Stela 9 is located in the main ceremonial center of Lamanai and depicts a young ruler who was originally identified as Lord Smoking Shell (Closs 1988). Current decipherment by Simon Martin may indicate a somewhat different story. The date panels found on the stela have been partially translated and indicate that the young lord began ruling at Lamanai around AD 608. It is believed he may have taken over rulership of the area from his father or may have been under the rulership of another lord from a different site.

Aside from the unusual feature of over 3,000 years of occupation the site has a unique pattern of arrangement of buildings. The structures were built along the banks of the New River Lagoon from north to south through time in what D. Pendergast refers to as a strip settlement pattern (Pendergast 1981). The site also has beautiful trails that wind through broad leaf forest with wonderful views of the lagoon and wildlife consisting of birds and howler monkeys.