One of the more easily accessible Mayan ruins from Belize City, Altun Ha is a small site featuring two large central plazas surrounded by midsized pyramids. Only a few of the most impressive structures have been uncovered while many more are still covered by the jungle vegetation.

“Altun Ha” is a recent name, coined by translating the name of the nearby village of Rockstone Pond in Yucatan Maya . The ancient name is unknown.

History of Altun Ha

Altun Ha was settled around 200 BC until the 10th century AD. At its peak in the 3rd century AD, as many as 10,000 people may have lived here. The city was a major trading center and a large amount of jade and obsidian were found at the site, both of which do not occur naturally in Belize. The presence of jade also suggest that Altun Ha was a religious center as jade could only be worn or used by Mayans of great importance, such as religious leaders.

About 900 AD several elite tombs were looted, which some think indicates a revolt against Altun Ha’s rulers. The site remained populated for about another century but no new major structures were built during that time. After this the population dwindled, with a moderate surge of reoccupation in the 12th century before declining again to a small agricultural village.

Altun Ha Highlights

Situated at Plaza B, the largest (though not the tallest) temple here is the Temple of the Masonry Altars. The temple was expanded many times with a new temple, complete with altar, built around the last one. No fewer than seven tombs have been found here, the oldest of which contained a magnificent carved head of the Maya sun god Kinich Ahau. The 10lb/4.5kg jade head is considered one of the national treasures of Belize and is locked away in a bank vault in Belize City. A replica of the head can be seen in the Museum of Belize.

The unrestored Temple A-6 is truly the tallest building at Altun Ha. It is now a large grass covered mount with a few remains of the stairs in the center on the lower south side. A climb to the top of the temple provides an excellent view of the entire site.

Source:  Maya Ruins – The Ultimate Guide

Even the best Hollywood set dressers in the biggest budget horror movie can’t outdo real life. As part of our continuing effort to find real-world locations that you wouldn’t want to spend a night in regardless of the number of shotguns and Bibles you were allowed to bring, here are some of the creepiest places on Earth.

Actun Tunichil Muknal

Actun Tunichil Muknal (“Cave of the Stone Sepulcher”) is an important Mayan archeological site in Belize. It was only discovered in 1989, but in the short time since it has already proven itself invaluable as a window into the ancient Mayan culture. And of course by that, we mean this:

Oh, so the Mayans had bones, too. Neat.

That is, one chamber in the cave is believed to have been used for human sacrifices, a theory suggested by the characteristic markings on some of the pottery found inside it. And by “pottery” we of course mean “murdered skeletons.”

If we know our CSI, natural deaths don’t cause skull holes.

They’ve found several skeletons in the cave, and most of them are, uh, small. That is, most of the sacrificed were children. They were probably sacrifices to Chaac, the Mayan god of rain, during a particularly severe drought. But don’t worry — these kids didn’t have their hearts cut out while still alive or anything. No, evidence shows that they were all killed by having their skulls crushed, which is way more genial and to the point. They were dealing with children, after all. Over hundreds of years, the bones became calcified and fused with the cave floor, which is why modern excavators have just left them there without a proper burial (though seriously guys, maybe like throw a tarp over them or something?). The most famous skeleton in the cave is that of a teenage girl, nicknamed the Crystal Maiden because her bones have partially crystallized and now sparkle in the light.

Oh, well that’s not scary at all then.

Only a few selected guides have received permission from the Belize Department of Archeology to take tourists into the chamber. And you will need a guide, because to get there you have to trek through a dense jungle, swim through a cavern lake, dodge big-ass cave spiders and navigate a labyrinthine ancient bludgeoning cave.

After all this, that cave better have leprechaun gold in it or something.

Once you make it inside, though, you have more or less unrestricted access to the cave’s ancient remains. You’re free to touch them, take pictures with them, even decorate them with novelty top hats and pretend that they’re talking in a British accent. Anything you feel is necessary to get your money’s worth of entertainment out of the bones of ritualistic murder victims.

Source:  FizX Entertainment