Cerros

About this place

Cerros is a Maya site in northern Belize, on a peninsula where the New River meets Chetumal Bay. Its big temple stands at the water's edge, one of the rare places where a pyramid and the Caribbean share one view. It peaked in the Late Preclassic, serving as a link between coastal trade routes and inland communities. It began about 400 BC as a small village of farmers, fishermen and traders. Around 50 BC, as its economy grew and it began to try out kingship, its people buried their homes to make way for temples and plazas. The last major building came around AD 100, after which its elite role ended. At its peak it held about 1,089 people. Its most famous building is a big temple, Structure 5C-2nd, set with its back to the edge of the bay, marking the north end of a sacred axis completed by a ball court to the south. You can see stepped pyramids, an acropolis complex, two ball courts and traces of a crescent-shaped canal network that once enclosed the centre and its raised fields. The temple top looks over green water and boats. It is about 7 km in a straight line from Corozal across the bay, so many visitors come by hired boat, faster than the road. Agree the fare in advance. Bring insect repellent, as mosquitoes are plentiful here, along with a hat and water. Stay out of restricted parts, and watch for slippery stone after rain.