Caracol is the largest Mayan center in Belize. This Mayan site, situated in the Reservat Mountain Pine Ridge and in the remote upper Chiquibul Rainforest, was once considered the most extensive – even larger than Guatemalan Tikal.
Although the excavations in Caracol have not been as extensive as in Tikal and other sites, visitors will be able to appreciate the enormous size of the town on a walking tour. The largest pyramid by volume in the entire Maya region is particularly impressive. This pyramid, named Caana, is around 140 feet high and is still one of the tallest man-made buildings in all of Belize. Around 20 plazas are situated around it, on which there are a number of temples. With a bit of imagination and thanks to the continual excavations, you can just about imagine Caracol 1,200 years ago with a good 180,000 inhabitants. Moreover: the name Caracol – meaning “snail” – is derived form the access road leading through the dense rainforest, which winds through the countryside and thus resembles the spirals on a snail’s shell.
