Caracol Mayan Ruins

Caracol or El Caracol is the name given to the archaeological site located in the tourist-friendly Cayo District of Belize. It is located about 25 miles south of the town of San Ignacio in the foothills of the Maya Mountains within the Chiquibul Forest Reserve in western Belize near the border with Guatemala. This forest reserve is a largely undeveloped tract of primary and secondary tropical rain and pine forests. Caracol is huge. In fact, it is the largest Mayan site in Belize, and one of the largest in the Mayan world. The core area alone is 15 square miles and once supported a population of about 120,000 people.