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Temple
N10-43 is Lamanai's tallest |
Lamanai lies along the shores of the beautiful New River
Lagoon in the Orange Walk District. It is one of Belize’s
largest and most important ceremonial centers. ‘Lamanai’,
which means 'submerged crocodile’, features monumental
architecture of temples and palaces dating from the Classic
and Pre-Classic Periods. Lamanai is one of the few areas
noted with continuous occupation throughout its history,
surviving through the centuries from 1500 BC to 1780 AD.
Because of their extended reign, even after the Europeans
descended upon the land, Lamanai is the only city that was
able to maintain its original Mayan name.
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The
Mask Temple - N9-56 |
The central area of the site covers approximately half a
square mile. The central area plus the residential and other
minor structures are spread over a vast 950 acres, which
is the present size of the official archaeological reserve.
The enormous main temple is the largest Preclassic structure
known in the entire Mayan world. The top of this temple
peaks out of its forest cover, stirring excitement in visitors
as they glide along the New River Lagoon. The site's most
famous structure however, is the Mask Temple. Here,
the exposed mask rises 13 feet high, and was intricately
carved out of the front of a limestone temple. Several artifacts
were also discovered including stone, clay, wood, bone,
shell, jade, gold, copper, glass, iron and even liquid mercury.
Apart from the many Mayan treasures, the site is also commonly
known for the remains of two 16th century Christian churches
and a 19th century sugar mill, all evidence of the encroaching
European influence.
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View
of the New River Lagoon |
Archaeologists first visited the site in 1917, and then
in 1974 the Royal Ontario Museum began a long-term project
to excavate and preserve the site. Today, visitors can access
the site by road or river. With a four-wheel drive vehicle,
visitors can travel through the village of San Felipe or
via Shipyard. The more popular route is down the scenic
New River from Tower Hill in Orange Walk.
Places nearby: 
Interests:
