Everything about Lamanai totally explained
Lamanai (from
Lama'an Ai, "submerged crocodile" in
Yucatec Maya) is a
Mesoamerican
archaeological site, and was once a considerably sized city of the
Maya civilization, located in the north of
Belize, in
Orange Walk District. The site's name is
pre-Columbian, recorded by early
Spanish missionaries, and documented over a millennium earlier in
Maya inscriptions as
Lam'an'ain.
History
Lamanai was occupied as early as the
16th century BC. The site became a prominent centre in the
Pre-Classic Period, from the
4th century BC through the
1st century AD, but also has later structures and continued to be occupied up to the
17th century AD. During the
Spanish conquest of Yucatán Spanish friars established two
Roman Catholic churches here, but a native
Maya revolt drove the Spanish away from this area.
Site description
The vast majority of the site remained unexcavated until the mid-
1970s. Archaeological work has concentrated on the investigation and restoration of the larger structures, most notably the
Mask Temple,
Structure N10-9 ("Temple of the Jaguar Masks") and
High Temple. The summit of this latter structure affords a view across the surrounding jungle to a nearby lagoon, part of
New River.
A significant portion of the Temple of the Jaguar Masks remains under grassy earth or is covered in dense jungle growth. Unexcavated, it would be significantly taller than the High Temple.
Archaeological investigations
The first detailed description of the ruins was made in
1917 by
Thomas Gann. Archeological excavations at the site began in
1974 under
David M. Pendergast of the
Royal Ontario Museum, which continued through
1988. Further excavations and restoration work is being conducted
as of 2004. The ruins are being excavated by a team from the nearby villages of
Indian Church and
San Carlos. The current project is co-directed by Dr. Elizabeth Graham (Institute of Archaeology, University College London) and Dr. Scott Simmons (University of North Carolina Wilmington). Since 2006 research at the site has been directed mostly towards artifact anaylsis. Major excavations will resume when funding for more artifact processing, analyses and storage is acquired. Dr. Simmons also runs summer archaeology field schools at the site. The next field school will be May-June 2008.
Modern site and tourism
Lamanai is accessible to
tourists by organised day boat trips from
Orange Walk Town along the New River. A small museum exhibits local artefacts and provides a historical overview. Tourist facilities and small shops are available.
Gallery
Image:IMG 5780.JPG|Mask Temple - Lamanai
Image:IMG 5783.JPG|Detail of carving on right-hand (facing temple) wall of Mask Temple. A similarly-sized panel on the left-hand side is covered up for its protection.
Image:IMG 5784.JPG|5' 8" tall person in front of Mask Temple wall, for perspective.
Image:Mask louise.JPG| Louise Belanger, http://www.louisebelanger.com/temple.htm, doing consolidation work on the Mask, 2001
Image:IMG 5790.JPG|High Temple, Lamanai
Image:IMG 5792.JPG|Detail from front wall (right side facing front) of the High Temple. Heavily eroded.
Image:IMG 5798.JPG|View from the top of the High Temple, to illustrate height.
Image:IMG 5839.JPG|Temple of the Jaguar Masks
Image:IMG 5844.JPG|Temple of the Jaguar Masks - detail of what is believed to be a jaguar head, left-hand side of temple (when facing its front).
Image:Lamanai.unexcavated.jpg|Unexplored temple mound south of the High Temple, Lamanai
Further Information
Get more info on 'Lamanai'.
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