{"id":1081,"date":"2020-10-04T14:05:25","date_gmt":"2020-10-04T13:05:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/?p=1081"},"modified":"2021-03-18T11:41:26","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T11:41:26","slug":"lamanai-submerged-crocodile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/lamanai-submerged-crocodile\/","title":{"rendered":"Lamanai: submerged crocodile"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The early morning clouds hung so low over the forest that we couldn\u2019t see the tops of the trees. And we certainly couldn\u2019t see any howler monkeys! Just like us it seemed, they like a lie-in on a miserable morning. On many other mornings during our time in Central America we had been woken by their eerie calls long before dawn; today, when we had got up early to see them, they were still in bed long after us!<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Brick
Ruined sugar mill near Lamanai <\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Raul took us past the old sugar mill and further into the reserve. Suddenly we emerged into a clearing and there before us in the mist was the Jaguar Temple \u2013 we had walked all the way to the Maya ruins. And at last, as we gazed up at the temple, we heard the now-familiar howls; the monkeys were up at last!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Maya
The Jaguar Temple at Lamanai at dawn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We walked back among the trees, towards the noise. Suddenly Raul halted \u2013 he could smell the monkeys nearby. Though still invisible to us, he had caught a whiff of damp fur, similar to that of wool. I tried and failed to smell it myself, and as I did so he pointed upwards; a troop of monkeys had emerged from the surrounding forest and were now in the branches immediately above our heads. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Binoculars allowed us to observe them more closely. There was a dominant male, a younger male, three females and an infant. We were both given sheets of paper on which to log our observations in our new role as \u2018assistant researchers\u2019: what were the monkeys doing (feeding); how much were they moving around (just a little); which one did we find the most interesting (for me the large male, who was clearly throwing his weight about so that the younger one knew who was the boss!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Owl
The monkeys were too high up to photograph but I did manage to get this owl!<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After a while the monkeys moved off into the trees and it was time for us to go back to the lodge for our breakfast. Raul radioed for a boat to pick us up at the ruins\u2019 jetty, and soon we found ourselves tucking into a hearty Belizean breakfast and telling some of our fellow guests that yes, we had, in the end, found some monkeys.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Wooden
Lamanai ruins – the jetty in the fog<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lamanai\u2019s Maya ruins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Maya ruins at Lamanai (the visible ones at least) may be less extensive than those elsewhere in Central America, but they are also much quieter. Even if visiting in the middle of the day rather than the crack of dawn, you won\u2019t find many more people here than we had seen monkeys!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lamanai means \u2018submerged crocodile\u2019 in the Maya language, and that seems appropriate, as today much of the site remains submerged indeed, beneath centuries of soil and forest growth. The site is notable for several reasons. It was occupied long after many other Maya sites had fallen into disuse and neglect (up until at least 1650 AD) and unlike other sites, many of its temples were built in layers, each on top of a previous structure, rather than temples being torn down and built anew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hundreds of ruins are said to be still hidden in the undergrowth, and here and there you get glimpses perhaps of a man-made hollow that was once a water reservoir, or a \u2018hill\u2019 that almost certainly conceals the remains of a temple. But although on a much smaller scale than other sites, there are still four notable temples which have been restored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mask Temple<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Mask Temple is at the northern end of the complex. It is an excellent example of the Lamanai custom of building in layers, each on top of an earlier structure. In the case of the Mask Temple, five construction phases have been identified, lasting from 100 BC to 900 AD. Raul showed us illustrations of each phase (illustrations I have since found on this website, http:\/\/www.beyondtouring.com\/Lamanai\/lamanai_aorder.htm<\/a>). I confess though that I am at a loss to know how archaeologists can be so sure of the appearance of the earliest phases, when they have been so subsumed by later ones.<\/p>\n\n\n