Xunantunich, Belize

Lost in the jungle--
several millennia
of history,
and forgotten by men--
shining millennia
of victory.
The Maya and their glyphs
stand as one
like the fathers and sons
measuring the present
in the easy-going eyes
of the tourist
who stands by a stele
in Copan stroking
a round glyph
which bares it teeth
to the onlookers
as if saying:
“After two thousand years,
traveler,
we’re still on our feet
vigilant among the silken
cobwebs of time.”

Victor Montejo

Grade Level 5-12
Art • Language Arts • Social Studies • Geography • Science

The area that is modern-day Belize was once part of the ancient Maya civilization, which flourished during the first millennium AD. The Maya were the original inhabitants of the area now covered by Guatemala, western Honduras, western El Salvador, and Belize. The Maya are believed to have lived in villages here since 1200 BC. The height of their civilization occurred during the Classic Period (AD 250-900). Archaeologist, Dr. Richard Leventhal is studying the civilization and culture of the Maya. Dr. Leventhal has spent a number of years in Belize studying several ancient Maya archaeological sites with his team, which includes local Maya. He has studied sites in southern Belize, near the Blue Creek Preserve, as well as ruins in Xunantunich, the site of an ancient Maya city in west central Belize.

Xunantunich

Biodiversity Belize Lesson Plan