Did you know that there are nine registered Maya sites on Ambergris Caye? Most of them lie in the heart of San Pedro Town where development has hidden the past from plain sight. One of the largest registered sites is in the heart of downtown San Pedro which encompasses all of Central Park and three blocks back to the lagoon side.
Since May 25, 2017, archeology students from North Carolina Universities have been on Ambergris Caye conducting research on the Post Classic Period Settlement of the Mayas, which is from about 1000AD to when the Spanish made contact with Belizean land.
Over the past years they have been working hand in hand with the Belize Institute of Archeology (BIA) and therefore choose Belize to conduct a four-week archeology field study to train students in field methods, lab methods and about the Mayas who once thrived on Ambergris Caye.
The students find themselves working on the property of Hostel La Vista (previously Sands Hotel of the late Mr. George Parham) which is located across from Central Park. Over the past weeks they have found bottles that were probably used to hold medications, pots for cooking, animal bones and teeth, glass that was used as a knife for cutting, material that was used for building their temples, especially their flooring and much more.
All these findings will be put together, analyzed and a special presentation will be conducted on June 30, 2017, at the Belize Institute of Archeology. All information and finding will be passed on to the BIA to make research available to all Belizean’s.
Unfortunately time will only allow the students and archaeologists to cover the area of Hostel la Vista, but they have guaranteed to come back and explore some more in the near future.
It will be very interesting to get to know all the discoveries of their excavations in San Pedro so that the townspeople can learn more about the rich history of Ambergris Caye and its people. How Exciting!!
