The stelae
Carved kings.
A mid-sized Maya city on a hilltop in green Toledo District in southern Belize, flourishing from the fifth to the eighth century, with the Maya Mountains to the west and the lowlands and sea to the east. Its Q'eqchi' name means «big hat», after the huge headdress worn by one of its kings on a carved stela. Its treasure is its group of carved stone stelae, more than twenty, some showing kings in ceremonial dress, including one of the tallest stelae in the Maya world. The most important have been moved into a small building on site to shelter them from rain, so visitors can see them up close. Visitors wander between small plazas, stone structures and a ballcourt, and from the hill's edge there is a wide view over forest and hills to the coast. The site is quiet and little visited, surrounded by Toledo's Maya villages. It is usually combined with nearby Lubaantun on a trip south. Heat and humidity are high and mosquitoes plentiful, so carry water, repellent and a hat.
Carved kings.
To the coast.
Among the plazas.
Near Indian Creek village in Toledo District, about an hour and a half from Placencia
«Big hat» in Q'eqchi', after the huge headdress on a carved stela of one of the city's kings.