Caracol, Belize Another major Mayan city in its day>>>

NATURE OF HUMAN NATURE

Caracol, Belize Another major Mayan city in its day - in the east of what is now Belize - Caracol's flame had burned out by (around) 950AD. Its ruins were discovered by loggers seeking mahogany wood in 1937

Caracol is the name given to a large ancient Maya archaeological site, located in what is now the Cayo District of Belize. It is situated approximately 40 kilometres south of Xunantunich and the town of San Ignacio Cayo, and 15 kilometers away from the Macal River. It rests on the Vaca Plateau at an elevation of 500 meters above sea-level, in the foothills of the Maya Mountains.

 Long thought to be a tertiary center, it is now known that the site was one of the most important regional political centers of the Maya Lowlands during the Classic Period. Caracol covered approximately 200 square kilometers, covering an area much larger than present-day Belize City (the largest metropolitan area in the country) and supported more than twice the modern city's population

The Caracol area was occupied as early as 1200 BC, yet occupation in the epicentral area was no earlier than 650 BC and lasted no later than AD 950.

 Caracol boasts 53 carved stone monuments (25 stelae and 28 altars), and more than 250 burials and 200 caches.

By the Early Classic (between AD 250 and 550) Caracol was tied into extensive trade networks and pan-lowland ideological systems, leading to a unified regional economy  The Caracol was officially founded in AD 331 (8.14.13.10.4) by Te’ K’ab Chaak. Special Deposit C117F-1, a Teotihuacan style cremation of three individuals dates precisely to this period, indicating early influences from northern Mexico.

                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                              by wikipedia