The Region of Belize - San Ignacio

The Regions - San Ignacio

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The Regions - San Ignacio

SAN IGNACIO

There is something indescribably alluring about the capital of Belize’s western district. Maybe it’s some remnant Maya magic, drifting downhill from the ruins of Cahal Pach, or maybe it’s the soft mist itself, quieting the village on rainy-season mornings and blanketing the floodplains to the east. Maybe it’s the raw vitality of the surrounding wilderness that bumps right up against the town and breathes so much healthy energy through San Ignacio’s streets – or maybe it’s what happens when all of these factors combine with a kind, good-hearted, diverse community of people. Belizeans of all creeds and colors happily reside in San Ignacio, as do an increasing number of both transient and transplanted foreigners. Roots, culture, and music is in the air, and there is as much Rasta Flavor in Cayo as there is Creole, Guatemalan, Garinagu, and Gringo.

SIGHTS

Even if you arrive late in the afternoon, there is still time to enjoy a tour of the Cahal Pech ruins or a short nature hike on the banks of the Macal River (only three blocks from the city center).

Medicinal Jungle Trail and Iguana Exhibit
This interpretive herb trail and iguana breeding project (the full name is the Green Iguana Conservation Project) is accessed through the San Ignacio Resort Hotel (tel. 501/824-2034), on 14 lush riverside acres. Tours of the herb trail or the iguana project are available for less than US$6 a person; plan on forty-five minutes for either talk. With the money earned from curious tourists, the hotel owners are able to keep the trail maintained and the iguana project going—and to prevent the heavily vegetated riverbank from being developed (crucial to the cleanliness of the local water supply). To date, 175 species of birds have been observed here (including a rare family pair of black hawk eagles), plus a number of mammals.

When the iguana population was on a noticeable downward cycle, the folks at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel created this successful breeding and release project. Groups go on hunts, capture the females, and highjack the eggs, which they raise in a predator-free, food-rich environment before releasing them back into the wild. The program has also trained former iguana hunters to become iguana guides, a far more profitable and sustainable endeavor, and hosts many school groups, featuring the Iguana Kids Club and Adopt an Iguana Program.

Cahal Pech Archaeological Site
The ruins of Cahal Pech (“Place of the Ticks”) still have a covering of jungle around them. A steep 10-minute walk from downtown San Ignacio, Cahal Pech is a great, tree-shaded destination, with amazing views of the valley to the north. Cahal Pech was discovered in the early 1950s, but scientific research did not begin until 1988, when a team from San Diego State University’s Department of Anthropology began work. Thirty-four structures were compacted into a three-acre area. Excavation is ongoing and visitors are welcome. You’ll pay a small fee at Cahal Pech Visitor Center (tel. 501/824-4236, 6 a.m.–6 p.m. daily), which also gives you access to a small museum of artifacts found at the site. Nearby Tipu was an important Maya-Christian town during the early years of colonization. Tipu was as far as the Spanish were able to penetrate in the 16th century.

East of San Ignacio

Actun Tunichil Muknal
This is the acclaimed “Cave of the Crystal Maiden,” featured in National Geographic Magazine and quickly becoming Belize’s most popular underground experience. This cave is for fit and active people who do not mind getting wet and muddy—and who are able to tread lightly! After the initial 45-minute hike to the entrance (with three river fords) and a swim into the cave’s innards, you will be asked to remove your shoes upon climbing up the limestone into the main cathedral-like chambers. The rooms are littered with delicate Maya pottery and the crystallized remains of 14 humans. There are no pathways, fences, glass, or other partitions separating the visitor from the artifacts. Nor are there any installed lights. The only infrastructure is a rickety ladder leading up to the chamber of the Crystal Maiden herself, a full female skeleton that sparkles with calcite under your headlamp’s glare, more-so during the drier months.

Please be careful—the fact that tourists are allowed to walk here at all is as astonishing as the sights themselves (at the time of this writing, somebody had already trod on and broken one of the skulls). Only two tour companies are licensed to take guests here: Pacz Tours and Mayawalk, both based in downtown San Ignacio.

South of San Ignacio

Thousand Foot Falls
Occasionally referred to as “Hidden Valley Falls,” this torrent of Roaring Creek is probably a good deal taller than a thousand feet and is considered the highest waterfall in all of Central America. The turnoff to the falls is located only a couple of miles beyond the Forest Reserve gate and is well-signed. From the turnoff, the road continues down for about four miles and brings you to the falls and a picnic area. View the falls from across the gorge and through breaks in the mist; US$2 pp. A small store and picnic tables can be found at the viewpoint, open 7 a.m.–5 p.m. daily.

CARACOL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE
One of the largest sites in Belize, archaeologists Diane and Arlen Chase believe that Caracol is the Maya city-state that toppled mighty Tikal, just to the northwest, effectively shutting it down for 130 years. Located within the Chiquibul Forest Reserve, Caracol is out there, offering both natural wonders and Maya mystery. To date, only a small percentage of the 177 square kilometers that make up the site has even been mapped, identifying only 5,000 of the estimated 36,000 structures lying beneath the forest canopy.

The centerpiece is no doubt the pyramid of Canaa which, at 136 feet above the plaza floor (roughly two meters higher than El Castillo at Xunantunich), is one of the tallest structures—modern or ancient—in Belize. Canaa was only completely unveiled of vegetation in 2003 by the Tourism Development Project (TDP), whose work is responsible for most of the structures you see. The vistas from the top of Canaa are extensive and memorable.

In addition to the aforementioned superlatives, Caracol, a Classic period site, is noted for its large masks and giant date glyphs on circular stone altars. There is also a fine display of the Maya’s engineering skills, with extensive reservoirs, agricultural terraces, and several mysterious ramps. Caracol has been studied for over 20 years by archaeologists the Chases and their assistants, student interns from Tulane University and University of Central Florida. According to John Morris, an archaeologist with Belize’s Institute of Archaeology, a lifetime of exploration remains to be done within six to nine miles in every direction of the excavated part of Caracol. It’s proving to have been a powerful site that controlled a very large area, with possibly over 100,000 inhabitants. The jungle you see now would have been totally absent in those days, the wood cleared to provide fuel and agricultural lands to support so many people.

Many carvings are dated a.d. 500–800, and ceramic evidence indicates that Caracol was settled about a.d. 300 and continued to flourish when other Maya sites were in decline. Carvings on the site also indicate that Caracol and Tikal engaged in ongoing conflicts, each defeating the other on various occasions. After the war in a.d. 562, Caracol flourished for more than a century in the mountains and valleys surrounding the site. A former archaeological commissioner named the site “Caracol” because of the winding logging road to reach it, although some contend it was because of all the snail shells found during initial excavations.

Visiting the Site
The small visitors center presents a scale model and interesting information based mostly on the work of the Chases over the last two decades. A new Monument Museum will allow tourists to view a range of artifacts and stelae from the site and will be based on the work of the TDP. There are no official guides on-site, as most groups arrive with their own. However, the caretakers know Caracol well and will be glad to walk you through and explain the site for a few dollars. Most tours start with the Raleigh Group, move by the enormous ceiba trees, then circle through the archaeologists’ camp and end with a bang by climbing Canaa. To prepare yourself—and to check on the latest discoveries and trail maps, click over to www.caracol.org.

Most tour operators offer Caracol day trips, often involving stops at various caves and swimming holes on the way back through the Mountain Pine Ridge. A few, like Everald’s Caracol Shuttle (tel. 501/804-0090 or 603-5705, caracolshuttle@hotmail.com), specialize in it. The ride should take anywhere from two to three hours, depending on both the weather and the progress made by road improvement crews who hopefully will not run out of money before you read this. If driving, 4WD vehicles are a must; gas is not available along the 50-mile road, so carry ample fuel. Camping is not allowed in the area without permission from the Institute of Archaeology in Belmopan. The closest accommodations are those along the Pine Ridge Road.

West of San Ignacio

Xunantunich
One of Belize’s most impressive Maya ceremonial centers, Xunantunich rests atop a natural limestone ridge with a grand view of the entire Cayo District and Guatemala countryside. The local name for the site, Xunantunich (shoo-NAHN-ta-nich), or “stone lady,” continues to be used, even after the ancients’ own name for the site, “Ka-at Witz,” or “Supernatural Mountain,” was recently discovered, carved into a chunk of stone.

Xunantunich is believed to have been built sometime around 400 b.c. and deserted around a.d. 1000; at its peak, some 7,000–10,000 Maya lived here. Though certainly not the biggest of Maya structures, at 135 feet high El Castillo is the second tallest pyramid in Belize (missing first place by one foot!). The eastern side of the structure displays an unusual stucco frieze (a reproduction), and you can see three carved stelae in the plaza. Xunantunich contains three ceremonial plazas surrounded by house mounds. It was re-discovered in 1894, but not studied until 1938 by archaeologist Sir J. Eric Thompson. As the first Maya ruin to be opened in the country, it has attracted the attention and exploration of many other archaeologists over the years.

In 1950, the University of Pennsylvania (noted for its years of outstanding work across the Guatemala border in Tikal) built a facility in Xunantunich for more study. In 1954, visitors were invited to explore the site after a road was opened and a small ferry built. In 1959, archaeologist Evan Mackie made news in the Maya world when he discovered evidence that part of Xunantunich had been destroyed by an earthquake in the Late Classic period. Some believe it was then that the people began to lose faith in their leaders—they saw the earthquake as an unearthly sign from the gods. But for whatever reason, Xunantunich ceased to be a religious center long before the end of the Classic period.

Located eight miles west of San Ignacio, the site is accessed by crossing the Mopan River on the Succotz Ferry, easily found at the end of a line of crafts vendors. The hand-cranked ferry shuttles you (and your vehicle, if you have one) across the river, after which you’ll have about a mile’s hike (or drive) up a hill to the site. The ferry, which operates 8 a.m.–3 p.m. daily, is free, but tipping the operator is a kind and much-appreciated gesture. Don’t miss the 4 p.m. return ferry with the park rangers, or you’ll be swimming.

Entrance to the site is US$2.50 pp; guides are available for US$20 per group and are recommended—both to learn about what you’re seeing and to support sustainable tourism, as all guides are local and very knowledgeable.

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SAN IGNACIO
There is something indescribably alluring about the capital of Belize’s western district. Maybe it’s some remnant Maya magic, drifting downhill from the ruins of Cahal Pach, or maybe it’s the soft mist itself, quieting the village on rainy-season mornings and blanketing the floodplains to the east. Maybe it’s the raw vitality of the surrounding wilderness that bumps right up against the town and breathes so much healthy energy through San Ignacio’s streets – or maybe it’s what happens when all of these factors combine with a kind, good-hearted, diverse community of people. Belizeans of all creeds and colors happily reside in San Ignacio, as do an increasing number of both transient and transplanted foreigners. Roots, culture, and music is in the air, and there is as much Rasta Flavor in Cayo as there is Creole, Guatemalan, Garinagu, and Gringo.

SIGHTS
Even if you arrive late in the afternoon, there is still time to enjoy a tour of the Cahal Pech ruins or a short nature hike on the banks of the Macal River (only three blocks from the city center).
Medicinal Jungle Trail and Iguana Exhibit This interpretive herb trail and iguana breeding project (the full name is the Green Iguana Conservation Project) is accessed through the San Ignacio Resort Hotel (tel. 501/824-2034), on 14 lush riverside acres. Tours of the herb trail or the iguana project are available for less than US$6 a person; plan on forty-five minutes for either talk. With the money earned from curious tourists, the hotel owners are able to keep the trail maintained and the iguana project going—and to prevent the heavily vegetated riverbank from being developed (crucial to the cleanliness of the local water supply). To date, 175 species of birds have been observed here (including a rare family pair of black hawk eagles), plus a number of mammals.
When the iguana population was on a noticeable downward cycle, the folks at the San Ignacio Resort Hotel created this successful breeding and release project. Groups go on hunts, capture the females, and highjack the eggs, which they raise in a predator-free, food-rich environment before releasing them back into the wild. The program has also trained former iguana hunters to become iguana guides, a far more profitable and sustainable endeavor, and hosts many school groups, featuring the Iguana Kids Club and Adopt an Iguana Program.
Cahal Pech Archaeological Site The ruins of Cahal Pech (“Place of the Ticks”) still have a covering of jungle around them. A steep 10-minute walk from downtown San Ignacio, Cahal Pech is a great, tree-shaded destination, with amazing views of the valley to the north. Cahal Pech was discovered in the early 1950s, but scientific research did not begin until 1988, when a team from San Diego State University’s Department of Anthropology began work. Thirty-four structures were compacted into a three-acre area. Excavation is ongoing and visitors are welcome. You’ll pay a small fee at Cahal Pech Visitor Center (tel. 501/824-4236, 6 a.m.–6 p.m. daily), which also gives you access to a small museum of artifacts found at the site. Nearby Tipu was an important Maya-Christian town during the early years of colonization. Tipu was as far as the Spanish were able to penetrate in the 16th century.