 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (March 2023) |
 View from atop of Caracol | |
  Location within Mesoamerica  Location within Belize | |
| Location | Cayo District, Belize |
|---|---|
| Region | Cayo District |
| Coordinates | 16°45′50″N 89°7′3″W / 16.76389°N 89.11750°W |
| History | |
| Founded | 1200 BCE |
| Periods | Preclassic to Postclassic |
| Cultures | Maya civilization |
Caracol is a large ancient Maya archaeological site, located in what is now the Cayo District of Belize. It is situated approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Xunantunich, and the town of San Ignacio, and 15 km (9.3 mi) from the Macal River. It rests on the Vaca Plateau, at an elevation of 500 m (1,600 ft) above sea-level, in the foothills of the Maya Mountains.[1] 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.[2] Caracol covered approximately 200 square kilometres (77 sq mi),[3] 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.[4]
- ^ Arlen Chase and Diane Chase, 1987 Investigations at the Classic Maya City of Caracol, Belize: 1985–1987. Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute, San Francisco.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
D. and A. 1995was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Arlen Chase and Diane Chase 2009 Interpreting the Maya "Collapse": Continued Investigation of Residential Complexes in and near Caracol's Epicenter: 2009 Field Report of the Caracol Archaeological Project. http://caracol.org/reports/2009.php Archived 2016-05-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed November 20, 2011
- ^ "History: Site Overview". Archived from the original on 1 April 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2011.