Altun Ha

Altun Ha is small by Maya standards, two plazas and thirteen structures, but it was a trading centre rather than a farming one, sitting close to the coast on the route between the Caribbean and the interior, and the wealth showed in what came out of it. In 1968 archaeologists opened a tomb in the Temple of the Masonry Altars and found a head of Kinich Ahau, the sun god, carved from a single piece of jade and weighing nearly five kilos, the largest carved jade object known from the Maya world. It is kept in a bank vault and rarely displayed. The temple appears on Belikin beer bottles, which is how most visitors first see it.

History

Stones from the ancient buildings were reused to build houses in the farming village of Rockstone Pond, but the site came to the attention of archaeologists only in 1963. Its name is a Yucatec Maya rendering of the village's name, Rockstone Water, and although an ancient emblem glyph for the city has been identified, its reading is not yet known (Wikipedia, Altun Ha).

What's there

• The Temple of the Masonry Altars - the pyramid on the beer label.
• The jade head story - the largest Maya jade carving, found here in 1968.
• The two plazas - compact and fully excavated.
• The reservoir - the ancient water tank beside the site.

When to go

December to April is the dry season. Mornings are cooler and avoid the cruise excursion groups, which arrive from Belize City in the middle of the day. Two hours covers it comfortably.

Things to know

The jade head is not on display and has been shown publicly only a handful of times; visitors expecting to see it will be disappointed. The site is small and takes ninety minutes. Cruise days fill it. The Old Northern Highway is potholed in stretches.

Nearby

The Community Baboon Sanctuary is an hour west; Belize City is an hour south.

Key facts