Historic Caracol Archaeological Site

Caracol Photo #1 of 2 Caracol is the largest Maya archaeological site in Belize, Central America. In AD 650, the urban area of Caracol had a radius of approximately 10 kilometers around the site's epicenter. It covered an area much larger than present day Belize City (the largest metropolitan area in the country of Belize) and supported more than twice the modern city's population. Urban Caracol maintained a population of over 140,000 people through the creation of an immense agricultural field system and through elaborate city planning. Caracol is noted not only for its size during the Maya Classic era (A.D. 250-950), but also for its prowess in war; this includes an AD 562 defeat of Tikal (Guatemala) and a subsequent conquest of Naranjo (Guatemala) in AD 631. Photo copyright Wikimedia Commons Author Pgbk87.

Overview

Caracol is the name given to a large ancient Maya archaeological site, located in what is now the Cayo District of Belize. It is situated approximately 40 kilometres south of Xunantunich and the town of San Ignacio Cayo, and 15 kilometers away from the Macal River. It rests on the Vaca Plateau at an elevation of 500 meters above sea-level, in the foothills of the Maya Mountains.

Long thought to be a tertiary center, it is now known that the site was one of the most important regional political centers of the Maya Lowlands during the Classic Period. Caracol covered approximately 200 square kilometers, covering an area much larger than present-day Belize City (the largest metropolitan area in the country) and supported more than twice the modern city's population.

Timeline

Maya Prehistory and Caracol

• 1200 B.C.-250 A.D. Preclassic Small sedentary villages followed by development of monumentality and larger centers.
  
• ca. 600-900 B.C. Earliest known habitation at Caracol.
  
• ca. A.D. 70 "Temple of the Wooden Lintel," constructed and consecrated; full Maya ritual complex present at Caracol.
  
• ca. A.D. 150 Elaborate burial.
  
• A.D. 250-900 Classic "Peak" of Maya civilization; pyramids, tombs, inscriptions, widespread trade
  
• A.D. 331 Caracol Royal dynasty "officially" founded.
  
• A.D. 626-636 Naranjo wars; major expansion of Caracol follows.
  
• A.D. 680 Naranjo's war of independence.
  
• A.D. 800 Maya "collapse" is underway.
  
• A.D. 800 Capture of 3 prisoners, including Ucanal lord, by Caracol Ruler Hok K'awil or his underlings.
  
• A.D. 859 Last recorded date at Caracol.
  
• A.D. 900-1500 Postclassic most major sites located away from Classic Period centers, but near water. Sites are generally characterized by low-lying as opposed to monumental architecture.
  
• ca. A.D. 1050 Caracol totally abandoned.
  
• A.D. 1500-present "Historic" Europeans arrive in the New World; most native Maya populations disseminated by disease; others disrupted by warfare and forced population movements. Native populations still comprise over 50% of Guatemala and Yucatan.

(Timeline revised from A. Chase and D. Chase 1996)