  Nature always reclaims. The city of Lamanai is deep in the jungle forest and the animals and vegetation have been busy at work covering the old abandoned city. On the short hike in, a howler monkey watched our progress.         The ball court at Lamanai is the smallest we've seen. Not that we've seen them all, yet. As well, the multiple levels is another unique change to the Mayan game.
        The name of the city has been translated as 'Submerged Crocodile'. But, with more recent finds, there is evidence that the name should have been Lamanai'in or Lamanai'yin. This would be closer to the Mayan words for 'Submerged' or 'underwater' and 'Crocodile'. As it stands now, the name initially given by historians and excavators and archaeologists, Lamanai, means something closer to 'Submerged Insect'. But, they've got all these signs made up, and tourist pamphlets and things. So, they are keeping with the inaccurate but well-known name instead. Lamanai still has a few buried mysteries and treasures, but they are going to remain buried for some time to come. | Lamanai was a major city centre of the Mayans. The site as it is now has only a few buildings uncovered. Apparently a Canadian team started the work of excavation for the purpose of getting and understanding of the dates of when the city was active and gain some idea of the history of the place. As a result, after uncovering just a few of the more important buildings, their research and curiosity was satisfied, or at least their budget was used up. The site is a popular destination for tourists, but for a greater view of the dynamics of the city a lot more excavation funding will be needed.   .jpg) The main temple at Lamanai. 112 steps will take you to the top. This is one of the few Mayan sites where you can still climb the temple. It is extremely steep. Once you get to the top you have an amazing view of the New River for miles. You are higher than anything else in the region. The green carpet of forest is so dense it looks like one living thing from the height.      Lamanai was the home of Lord Smoking Shell and his line of nobility. To the left is his stela, a carved stone that tells of his legacy and his deeds. The actual stela fell face down at some point in the decay of the abandoned city and surprisingly this helped to preserve some of the carvings and information on the stela. A replica has been made and placed in front of his burial temple.
    Lamanai Jaguar Temple. Close to the Jaguar Temple there is a Mayan Calendar Stone.    |
