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Altun Ha
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Altun Hais the name given ruins of
an ancient Maya city in Belize, located in
the Belize District about 50 kilometer (30
miles) north of Belize
City. "Altun Ha" is a modern name in
the Maya language,
coined by translating the name of the
nearby village of Rockstone Pond.
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The ancient name of Altun Ha is at present
unknown. Altun Ha has two plazas and 13
structures, the most famous being the Temple
of Masonry Altars. Stone steps enable you to
climb to the top. It's been surmised
that Altun Ha was once a significant trading
center for both jade and obsidian.
Archeological investigations had shown, that
Altun Ha was occupied by 200 BC to 900
AD, when the site may have had a population
of about 10,000 people.
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About 900 AD there was some
looting of elite tombs of the site, which
some think is suggestive of a revolt against
the site's rulers. After this the population
dwindled, with a moderate surge of
reoccupation in the 12th century before
declining again to a small agricultural
village.
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The ruins of
the ancient structures had their stones
reused for residential construction of the
agricultural village of Rockstone Pond in
modern times, but the ancient site of Altun
Ha did not come to the attention of
archeologists until 1963, when the existence
of a sizable ancient site was recognized
from the air by a bush pilot and amateur
Mayanist Hal Ball.
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Masonry Altars
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The
Adjacent Plaza B is dominated by the sites
largest temple, The Temple of Masonry
Altar, which rises 60 feet above the plaza
and was the last in a sequence of
buildings raised on this spot. A drawing
of this structure is the logo of Belize's
leading brand of beer, "Belikin" and you
will find it on every bottle.
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This temple was probably the main
focus of religious ceremonies, with a single
stairway running up the front to an altar at
the top. Seven layers of tombs were
found under a central stairway block, now
exposed.
The most impressive was the earliest. Inside
the intact crypt, lying on the right wrist
of the skeleton entombed there was a jade
head representing the sun god Kinich Ahau.
Smaller jade objects were also found, along
with pottery vessels, modified shells
foreign to the area, a Pyrex mirror, and a
number of beautifully crafted eccentric
flints. The body was originally covered by
Jaguar and Cougar skins and the entire tomb
was covered in red pigment.
If you take the time and effort to climb to
the top of the largest Temple in Altun Ha
with 16 meter (54 ft) high, you'll discover
an inspiring, breathtaking panoramic view of
the entire site and the surrounding jungle.
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Sun God Kinich Ahau
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The jade-head sculpture of Kinich
Ahau, see Picture on the left side, was
found inside the Temple of the Masonry
Altars is a national treasure. It's giant
head of the Sun God, standing 6 inches in
diameter and weighing in at 10 pounds, is
also the largest Mayan-era jade carving ever
discovered.
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Kinich Ahau was also know by the
name Ah Xoc Kin, who was associated with
poetry and music. Kinich Ahau was the
patron god of the city Itzamal. Supposedly,
he visited the city at noon everday. He
would descend as a macaw and consume
prepared offerings. Kinich Ahau is usually
shown with jaguar-like features. Kinich Ahau
also wears the symbol of Kin, a Mayan day.
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Temple of the Green Tomb
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Temple A-1 also known as The
Temple of the Green Tomb, is the most
imposing structure in Plaza A. The temple
was built during several construction
periods in the 5th and 6th centuries A.D.
Several minor modifications continued to be
made in succeeding centuries. |
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Found
hidden deep inside this temple was a
single tomb dating back to about A.D. 550.
It is called the "Green Tomb," because it
contained almost 300 jade objects. Other
artifacts included, jewelry, shell
necklaces, ornaments, pottery vessels,
skin flints, the remains of a Maya Book
and for ritual bloodletting stingray
spines. The tomb was constructed in a
manner that is unique among Mayan sites to
those at Altun Ha.
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Temple A3
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The structure A3 rises in tiers
with a broad stairway on the plaza
side. At the base of the stairs was a
carved limestone altar for a unique
offering. It depicted a person seating on
the throne speaking to another individual,
kneeling before him.
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The
original addition of plaster masks on the
stair-side outsets of A3 and the existence
of elite residences and construction of
temples indicate the first evidence that
at A. D. 450 the developed institution of
kingship existed at Altun Ha.
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Altun Ha Tour
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Altun Ha is the closest Maya Site
to be Belize
City and is often used as a half a day
trip together with the Belize
Zoo, Old Belize, Cave Tubing or Zip
Lining. There are no regular scheduled
public Bus Trips to Altun Ha, but if you
like to travel with the locals, just take a
Bus for 2 US$ to Crooked Tree and sign up
for a tour with a licensed Guides there. The
most expensive way is to visit on a tour
from Belize City.
You can easily travel cost effective in 45
minutes from Belize City to Altun Ha with a
rented car or a take taxi and negotiate the
fare. If you drive yourself, take the
Northern Highway out of Belize City. About
20 miles (32 km) out, you will see a
turn-off to the east, with a sign reading
"Altun Ha." 12 miles later (19 km), there is
a road to the west, also with Altun Ha
signs, and about 2 miles (3 km) further to
the ruins.
If you
need a map of the Altun Ha Site, at our Maya
Site
Maps page, there is a printable
version available for download.
Bring along: Good shoes, sunglasses, sun
shade, sun bloc, bug spray, camera.
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