The Lamanai Visitor
Center is an on site museum
at one of the most popular destinations in Belize,
the ancient Maya site of Lamanai (submerged
crocodile). Lamanai is one of the oldest sites
in the Maya world and boasts a continuous occupation
of 3,300 years plus. First occupied around 1500
B.C., Lamanai was still occupied even after
the Maya Postclassic, and evidence of two Spanish
churches that were erected and destroyed by
the Maya in 1600 is still found at the site.
Occupation at the site continues until A.D.
1875 when the British introduced a sugar mill
factory to process the expanded acreage of cane
sugar planted in the area. The new center contains
an extensive collection of artifacts. At least
2400 years of human activity at the site is
recorded in ceramics, and artifacts. Stela 9,
which records the life of the historically significant
Lord Smoking Shell, dating to March 10th, 625
A.D., is now on display.
The site of Lamanai and the Visitor Center
located on the banks of the New River lagoon
in the Orange Walk district, and approximately
2 km from the village of Indian Church, is
open to the public 365 days for the year from
8:00 a.m. to 5.00 pm.
Admission is US $5.00. For further
information contact the Institute of
Archaeology at 501-822-2106 or at ia@nichbelize.org
