Welcome to Belize! Before we talk about the Altun Ha attraction in the title of this blog post, we would like to briefly and concisely explain the border crossing from Mexico to Belize.

We were pleasantly surprised at how easily we were able to drive from Mexico to Belize with our camper Ben, including all the necessary stamps and documents. It took a good half hour to get out of Mexico, most of which was spent queuing and looking for the engraved VIN on our camper. On the Belize side, it felt even shorter and we were already on the roads in Belize without any major checks.
If all future borders in Central America run as smoothly as this, the formalities will be a pleasant walk in the park, contrary to our expectations!

Ruined city of Altun Ha

After a pleasant first night in Belize, we make our way to the first attraction. Altun Ha is a rebuilt ruined city near Belize City. We are somehow a little irritated at how quickly the distances have become smaller again in Belize. After a country as big as Mexico, we have already covered a good third of the length of Belize just to get to the ruins of Altun Ha.

We felt that the ruined city itself had been restored rather quickly, which is reflected in the felt less than original construction of the step pyramid and other buildings. Modern mortar or even concrete is visible in many places. On the other hand, we are allowed to climb up everywhere and take a look at the site from the highest temple. We really like that in contrary.
Altun Ha was of great historical importance, as many jade tools, especially knives, were traded via Altun Ha. The trade route was partly by sea and everything that was transported inland in this region passed through Altun Ha. Altun Ha is also the site of discovery of an important piece of jewelry that is now one of Belize’s national treasures, a carved jade head. It is the largest carved jade object found in any Maya community.
The original jade head is now safely stored at the Central Bank of Belize, but a copy can be seen in the museum at Altun Ha. It was carved from a single piece of jade and replicates a human head. With a diameter of around 15 centimeters, it weighs around 4.5 kilograms and is insured for up to 10 million US dollars when the original piece is on display.

After taking a look at Altun Ha, we decide to drive a little further southwest on our way so that we can gradually travel through Belize from north to south. We’ll be back soon with the next update!