The Houston Museum of Natural Science presents A Mayan Exploration, Belize and Guatemala with Dr. Dirk Van Tuerenhout

8 nights / 9 days April 2004

Dirk Van Tuerenhout is curator of Anthropology at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. He studied archaeology and ancient history at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and received a doctorate in Anthropology from Tulane University in New Orleans. His fieldwork and dissertation centered on the Pre-Columbian Maya and he has conducted excavations in Belize and Guatemala. Dirk is the perfect leader of this tour.

• 2 nights at the Radisson Fort George in Belize City. This is Belize City's premier hotel, offering 102 deluxe air-conditioned rooms overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The Radisson Fort George Hotel and Marina offers the most modern facilities in a rich classic colonial ambiance.
• 4 nights at Chaa Creek, a private 330-acre nature reserve located along the banks of the Macal River in the foothills of the Maya Mountains. Chaa Creek provides the opportunity to savor the rainforest while also striving to preserve this fragile environment. As a private 330-acre nature reserve set long the banks of the Macal River in the foothills of the Maya Mountains, we have provided a unique rainforest experience for guests while maintaining an unspoiled ambience.
  
  Each palm-thatched cottage has Mexican tiled floors, large mahogany beds, original artwork and private bathrooms with hot showers. The cuisine features a mixture of Caribbean, Mexican and Belizean dishes served under an enormous umbrella of thatch in our large, airy restaurant with a temperature-controlled wine cellar.
• 2 nights at the Jungle Lodge. Move the last sentence to the beginning, stressing the most important aspect of the lodge: its location in close proximity to the site. So "The Jungle Lodge is ideally located within the Tikal National Park. It offers the closest accommodations to the ruins. The Lodge offers spacious rooms with two double beds large private bathrooms with hot water and (limited) electricity. High ceilings keep the rooms cool and each bungalow has its own small porch with lounge chairs. Scarlet Macaws and Ocellated Turkeys are often seen in the grounds and the night air is filled with the sounds of the jungle - howler monkeys, crickets and parrots.

A Mayan Exploration, Belize and Guatemala We start our tour in Fort George where we will explore the sites of Lamanai and Altun Ha. Altun Ha means "stone water" in Mayan and was an important Classic Period site. There are more than 275 structures and the entire city covered some 5 square kilometers. Lamanai, meaning "submerged crocodile" in Maya, is a Maya site whose uninterrupted history spans 3000 years, from 1500 BC to AD 1500. Located along the New River Lagoon, this site offers ceremonial and residential structures spread out in an arc. Both Altun Ha and Lamanai were extensively investigated by archaeologists from the Royal Ontario Museum, in Toronto. From here we move inland and use the lodge at Chaa Creek as our base as we explore El Pilar, Xunantunich, Caracol and for a great change of pace, the Caves Branch River Cave. El Pilar has more than twenty-five identified plazas in an area of approximately 100 acres ranking it equal with major centers of the lowland Maya region. There are more than a dozen large pyramids and many range buildings. Xunantunich is spectacularly perched on a hill over-looking the Belize River. The largest pyramid, El Castillo, rises a towering 130 feet above the main plaza, and more than 250 feet above the river valley below. Caracol is one of the largest known sites in Belize. It was one of a handful of Maya superpowers during the Classic Maya period (AD 250 - 800). Excavations at the site have revealed enormous ceremonial structures as well as inscriptions relating the incessant warfare between Caracol and Tikal. On one occasion, Caracol attacked and defeated Tikal; a ball court marker proudly refers to that achievement. Finally, we drive into Guatemala and the Tikal National Park. Tikal is one of the best known Maya sites. Located in the central area of the Peten region of Guatemala, the Tikal National park incorporates both natural and cultural treasures. Because of breakthroughs in decipherment in Maya writing, we now know that Tikal was at the receiving end of a possible military coup early on in its history, that it was involved in a titanic struggle with other Maya superpowers and that it once controlled a huge swath of territory in what is now northern Guatemala. Please contact Graham Farebrother, 713 807 9620 or Amy Featherstone 713 639 4744 for additional information. Print this Itinerary You can download a print-friendly version of this itinerary in PDF format by clicking here. Click here for your Reservation Form Dates: April 17th - April 25th 2004 Prices: $2,688 per person, double occupancy and subject to availability, change, holiday/ seasonal supplements, and any restrictions that may apply. Required travel Insurance: $150 Single Supplement upon request Not Included: Flights to Belize and return Any items of a personal nature, such as gratuities, meals not specifically included in the detailed itinerary, gifts, telephone calls and similar expenses. Passports and visas.