New Mayan Studies Section at the SP Town Library

The San Pedro Public Library is assembling a new Mayan Studies Section, with special emphasis on the Mayan Calendar. Prophecies from other cultures, and sources sorting fact from fiction in exploring the meaning of 2012 from the particular perspective of the classic Mayans are being gathered in anticipation of the upcoming date.

A few recently published books are much needed for this collection. Most are available from Amazon or bookstores. The Library will be hugely grateful if you are traveling with access to a bookstore and would like to make a valuable and permanent contribution to this timely project.

Meanwhile, come by the library and look over a number of recent articles available, conveying up-to-date information about this often confusing but most unique time in the evolution of the earth and in human history.

A partial all-paperback Wish List.

(Others also welcomed) :

“The Mayan Factor” by Jose Arguelles

“The Return of Quetzalcoatl” by Daniel Pinchbeck

“2012: Science or Superstition” by Alexandra Bruce

“The Mystery of 2012: Predictions, Prophecies and Possibilities” A

book of readings.

“Not in His Image: Gnostic Vision, Sacred Ecology and the Fate of

Belief” by John Lamb Lash

“Popul Vuh” ancient Mayan story of the Genesis of man

“Beyond 2012: Catastrophe or Awakening?” by Geoff Stray

“Time Wave Zero” by Terrence McKenna

Exploring Marco Gonzalez...

The entrance to Marco Gonzalez Maya Site has been greatly improved thanks to the hard work and dedication of Jan Brown and crew. "London Bridges" have been set up leading to the site, where, on our arrival, we observed students from both Wilmington, NC, and London, England packing up a recently recovered skeleton, uncovering another set of bones, clearing some of the area, and a few taking notes.

This perfectly intact bowl was recovered recently,

and is a great find for the students on this dig.

Great slabs of stone were discovered in a nearby wooded area.

The skull of one of the skeletal remains before it is fully packed for moving from the area.

Another skeleton was discovered, and students have begun unearthing it.

Dr. Scott and Liz Graham.

There are tons of broken pottery all around, on the way to the site, at the site, and in the surrounding areas. According to history, the Mayas ritually broke their pottery every year.

There is a lot to be done to prepare the site for visitors en masse, but each step is a thrill, and each new discovery brings the public closer to its history. For the moment, the site is open to archaeology students and experts as it is prepared for public viewing in the near future.

Marco Gonzalez Maya Site Project goes to a new level

Tourism and Education stakeholders were hosted by the Board of Directors of the Marco Gonzalez Maya Site Project at a reception at the Belize Yacht Club. Those in attendance were able to view artifacts from the Maya Site, plus met visiting archaeologists.


As part of her Master's thesis, Miss Nadia Glassup, University College London, England, is also conducting a four day exhibition (July 8th through of Marco Gonzalez artifacts and the importance of the island site.

A media tour of the site itself has been scheduled, pending the inclement weather. Watch for more photos as they become available.

New structures ‘unearthed’ at Belize’s Caracol Mayan Ruin

The ruins of Caracol are located in the Vaca Plateau of the Cayo District and recent studies performed by NASA have unearthed thousands of new structures using their most advanced technology. Utilizing NASA’s laser tools, researchers have discovered and illustrated in a 3D form, the complex urban centers built at the ancient Maya City of Caracol.

In a press briefing on Tuesday, May 11th, a NASA based group revealed information - which normally would take 25 years to collect – and was done over a span of 4 days gathered by using a technique called LiDar (light Detection and Ranging). Airborne LiDAR made research significantly easier, and faster, allowing researchers to see 'beyond the rainforest'. Laser beams emitted from a plane were able to penetrate the thick canopy that covers the site to reach sensors on the ground. The laser survey then produced images of the ancient settlement and its surroundings, covering a 200 square kilometre radius in just four days. “It is very exciting,” said Arlen Chase, Anthropology Professor at the University of Central Florida, where the data is being analyzed. “The images not only reveal topography and built features, but also demonstrate the integration of residential groups, monumental architecture, roadways and agricultural terraces, vividly illustrating a complete communication, transportation and subsistence system.”
This breakthrough and results of the LiDAR mapping project in Caracol are significant. A total of eleven new causeways, five new causeway termini, tens of thousands of agricultural terraces and many hidden caves were located.

The new developments have prompted Nasa’s researchers to recreate the Caracol landscape in 3D model so as to better understand the Maya Civilization in an effort to discover clues as to what may have happened to the maya empire in that era.

Currently in the state of excavation and restoration Caracol is the largest known Maya center in Belize. The largest pyramid in Caracol, "Canaa" (Sky Place), rises 140 feet high, and it is the tallest manmade structure in all of Belize. Since Caracol is located in the Chiquibul Rain Forest, there is a plethora of flora and fauna to enhance the true beauty of this magnificent Maya center.
Caracol is an enormous ceremonial center, perhaps the largest site in Belize.