Caracol (Spanish for "snail") is the most spectacular Mayan site in Belize, as well as one of the most impressive in all of Central America. It was once home to as many as 200,000 people (nearly the population of modern-day Belize). It was a metropolis with five plazas and 32 large structures covering almost a square mile. Altogether there are some 35,000 buildings at the site, though only a handful have been excavated.

Once Caracol has been fully excavated it may dwarf even the great city of Tikal, which is a few dozen miles away in Guatemala. The latest evidence suggests that Caracol won a crushing victory over Tikal in the mid-6th century, a theory that Guatemalan scholars haven't quite accepted.

Until a group of chicleros (collectors of gum base) stumbled on the site in 1936, Caracol was buried under the jungle of the remote Chiquibul Forest. It's hard to believe it could have been lost for centuries, as the great pyramid of Ca’ana, at 140 feet, is Belize's tallest structure.

Be sure to have your camera batteries fully charged and a fresh memory card available, as not only the architecture itself, but the surrounding jungle and wildlife, will keep you snapping photos all day long. A must see!