This first Mayan ruin was called Xunantunich (pronounced shu-nan-to-nich). It was the longest established Mayan settlement in Belize and dates back to around 600AD.
Upon entering the reserve, it's another long walk uphill. Glad we had on our tennis shoes!
It was incredible! Only a fraction of the site has actually been excavated. Every mound of grass is another building just waiting to be discovered.
We got a great workout going up every set of stairs to get to the top.
These stone buildings were homes, gathering places, markets, all part of a thriving civilization. The tallest one was sacred and housed the religious ceremonies. Only the top ruler and his aids were allowed there.
I took this picture from on top of one of the structures so I could capture a wider view.
The three of them raced to the top while mom stayed below to snap the pic. But yes, I had to climb it myself after the picture.
In original form, these were smooth buildings, many painted white with colorful writing on them. The weather has eroded the color and much of their smooth surface.
Belize has two types of monkeys.. the Howler monkeys and the Spider monkey. Most visitors experience the Howler monkeys, and they are so loud that the tourists are happy when they leave so it's back to peace and quiet. The Spider monkeys are more elusive, and that's what we got to see. There was a sweet family with a mom, dad, and youngling whom they were teaching to swing. So precious!
This is the view from the tallest structure (where only the royals could go). The view was amazing!
After we left Xunantunich, we found that the hand-cranked bridge was out. Rather than wait for it to be fixed like all the other visitors, Eric decided to try another way across.
We hiked up the river about half a mile through lots of thick brush (and praying there were no snakes). The river became a bit white water over the rocks, but Eric found a spot he felt we could safely do.
He came back to help our little one. I was in charge of our shoes, so I shoved them in my backpack although it was too full to zip closed.
The family seemed to be fairing well, but not so much for me. The rocks were killing my bare feet. When I bent down to find a softer spot to step, the shoes fell out...
Ashlyn immediately jumped into action, literally. She slid down the rapids and swam after our shoes, finding them all!
That girl not only saved our shoes, but she also made it the other side before we even got halfway across on foot! If I had known my shoes would get wet anyway, I would have just worn them and spared the soles of my feet. The whole time, I kept fussing at Eric for not being patient like the other tourists waiting for them to fix the bridge.
The little one isn't phased by all this.
I was excited to reach the other side, but quickly realized it was only an island. Uggh!
Ashlyn has been waiting on us almost 20 minutes by this point.
Once we all made it across and hiked the 1/2 mile back to our car, guess what was working again! Yep, the bridge. Thankful we're all safe, but I was NOT happy!
