I visited Cahal Pech, Xunantunich, and Lamanai Mayan ruins during my trip to Belize.

Cahal Pech and Xunantunich are located near San Ignacio on the west side of Belize near Guatemala. I was so excited to see Cahal Pech because it was the first Mayan ruin I’d ever been too. Seeing all the old buildings and imagining what it would have been like was cool. There are temples, tombs, houses, and I also learned that the Mayans went into caves. At Cahal Pech we saw an amazing view from the top of the highest temple. To get to the top you have to climb the narrow and steep stairs using your hands and come down them sideways with your hands holding on so you don’t fall forward.

Xunantunich was much bigger and you could see a much better view. We also saw a Stella, which is a slab of rock that the Mayans used to write on. It was really neat to see the Mayan writing and language. We also saw the Ball Court where the Mayans played a game with a rubber ball they made from the rubber tree. When the sap hardens, it turns to rubber. The Mayan players wear padding and they could only hit the ball with their hips, elbows, shoulders, and knees. They had to hit the ball through a stone ring attached to the wall.

Xunantunich and Cahal Pech were really cool experiences because they were very different. Xunantunich is clear cut with no trees at the site. At Cahal Pech there were lots of trees and bushes. They were both unique experiences and I am glad I got to see each.

Below is a video of my visit to Cahal Pech and Xunantunich.

Lamanai is located near Orange Walk Town, in northern Belize. Lamanai was different because we had get to the ruins by boat. The boat ride was on a river and we saw birds and iguanas, but no crocodiles. It was raining really hard and my dad and I were in the back so we sat down on the floor of the boat and hid behind all the seats.

Lamanai was a really big ruin and had lots of howler monkeys. When you got to the top of the tallest temple, you could hear the monkeys howl and it was like dinosaurs.

My favorite temple was the Jaguar temple because it was very open (no trees so you could see all the details) and really unique. There were jaguar masks on both sides of the temple and they were symbols of the gods. The guide told us at night, they would put lanterns in their eyes to make them glow.

Below is a video of my tour to Lamanai.