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Beyond Augustine/Douglas Silva the ridges of the Maya Mountains rise up to the south, while to the west is the wilderness of Vaca plateau. Here the ruins of Caracol , the largest Maya site in Belize, and one of the largest in the Maya world, were lost for several centuries until their rediscovery in 1936. Two years later they were explored by A.H. Anderson, who named the site Caracol - Spanish for "snail" - because of the large numbers of snail shells found there. In 1985 the first detailed, full-scale excavation of the site, the "Caracol Project", began, and research continues today, unearthing artefacts relating to everyday life at all levels of Maya society. The site is open daily (8am-4pm; US$5) and you'll be guided on your visit by one of the guards or, if excavation is in progress, by an archeology student. The visitor centre is the best at any Maya site in Belize and an essential first stop. There's a map of the centre of the site and some excellent display panels, as well as artefacts from the site. Only the core of the city, comprising thirty-two large structures and twelve smaller ones grouped round five main plazas, is open to visitors - though even this is far more than you can effectively see in a day. At its greatest extent, around 700 AD, during the Late Classic period, Caracol covered 88 square kilometres, with a population estimated to be around 150,000. The largest pyramid, Canaa , is still one of the tallest buildings in Belize, at 42m high. Over 100 tombs have been found, some with painted texts decorating the walls, along with ceremonially buried caches containing items as diverse as a quantity of mercury and amputated human fingers. Hieroglyphic inscriptions here have enabled epigraphers to piece together a virtually complete dynastic record of Caracol's rulers from 599 AD, and glyphs carved on altars tell of war between Caracol and Tikal, when control over a vast area alternated between the two great cities. One altar records a victory of Caracol over Tikal at 562 AD - a triumph that set the seal on the city's rise to power. Caracol is also a haven for wildlife (including tapirs, jaguars and ocelots), and birds, among them the orange-breasted falcon and the very rare harpy eagle.
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