Welcome to Belmopan, the capital of Belize. By population it is the smallest capital city in the continental Americas, and founded as a planned community in 1970, it is one of the newest national capitals in the world. Belmopan was built just east of the Belize River, 80 kilometres inland from the old capital, the port of Belize City, after that city was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Hattie in 1961. Even the National Assembly Building has a story to tell: it is designed to resemble a Pre-Columbian Maya temple. From here, ancient Maya sites, caves and jungle await. Let's go.
Xunantunich
Photo: Denis Barthel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsHigh on a ridge above the Mopan River, within sight of the Guatemalan border, lies Xunantunich, an ancient Maya site. Between around 700 and 900 AD it served as a civic and ceremonial centre for the Belize Valley, when nearly 200,000 people lived in the region. Its name means maiden of the rock, and it comes with a ghost story: since 1892, several people have claimed to see a woman dressed all in white, with fire-red glowing eyes, who climbs the stairs of El Castillo and vanishes into the stone wall. The site's ancient name is unknown.
Actun Tunichil Muknal
Photo: Peter Andersen · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsNow we venture underground, into Actun Tunichil Muknal, the Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre, known locally as ATM. This Maya archaeological site holds skeletons, ceramics and stoneware, many of them calcified to the cave floor. The best known is the Crystal Maiden, the skeleton of what is believed to be a 17-year-old boy, possibly a sacrifice victim, whose bones have taken on a sparkling, crystallised look. Look closely at the pots: many bear kill holes, made to release spirits lurking within, a sign they were used in ceremonies.
Belize Zoo
Photo: BzeZoo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsWest of Belize City, along the Western Highway, lies the Belize Zoo, founded in 1983 by Sharon Matola. It is home to more than 175 animals of about 48 species, and every one of them is native to Belize. What makes it special is the setting: the natural environment is left entirely intact, and gravel trails wind through dense forest between the enclosures. The zoo's aim is to inspire pride in Belize's wildlife and a desire to protect it.
Cahal Pech
Photo: Denis Barthel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsPerched high above the Macal River, overlooking where it meets the Mopan, is Cahal Pech. This was a palatial hilltop home for an elite Maya family. Most of its building dates from the Classic period, but people lived here as far back as 1200 BC, making it one of the oldest recognisably Maya sites in western Belize. Around a central acropolis stand 34 structures, the tallest temple about 25 metres high. The earliest pottery in western Belize was found here. In the 9th century the site was abandoned, for reasons still unknown.
St. Herman's Blue Hole National Park
Photo: Bennyteee · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsJust off the Hummingbird Highway, 19 kilometres south-east of Belmopan, lies St. Herman's Blue Hole National Park. It sits on a forested ridge in the foothills of the Maya Mountains and is named for its jungle pool, called the Blue Hole for its vivid colour. The park also holds two cave systems, St. Herman's Cave and Crystal Cave, which can be explored by cavers. It was declared a national park in 1986, and renamed in 2005 to avoid confusion with another Blue Hole in Belize.
Guanacaste National Park
Welcome to Guanacaste National Park, a small park of 20 hectares in central Belize. It is named after a huge guanacaste tree that escaped the loggers for a simple reason: its trunk divided into three bases, which made it less valuable as timber. Alongside it grow rain trees and Honduras mahogany, the national tree of Belize. As you walk the trails, keep an eye out for white-tailed deer, kinkajous and armadillos, and listen for birds, because this park is a favourite with birdwatchers.
Lomakuume
