Chaa Creek

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Chaa Creek is a tributary of the Macal River in the Cayo District in western Belize. It is near the site of an ancient Maya settlement. One of the official gauging stations of the Macal is located near the confluence with Chaa Creek.[1]

Maya archaeological site

Xunantunich was a Maya settlement or city in the Belize River valley in the Late and Terminal Classic periods (c. 700–900 AD).[2] At its peak, the region had a population of nearly 200,000.[3]

There are Maya ruins of a community in the Chaa Creek catchment basin 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) east of Xunantunich's center that remain largely unexcavated.[4]: 297 [5] Initial investigation and surveying of the site was done from 1992 to 1994 under the auspices of the Xunantunich Archaelogical Project.[5]

Excavations were conducted in 1995 and 1997.[5] Significant pottery finds and other artifacts have been recovered at the site, which is posited to be a satellite site of Xunantunich.[6][7]

Sixty-two sites were identified within the 2-square-kilometre (0.77 sq mi) settlement zone, the three largest being Stela group, Plantain group and Tunchilen group.[5] Each of these three had "stelae, immense plazas, and 5-m-high [16-ft-tall] temple mounds"[5] and were each situated on its own ridge.[7] The Stela group features an "immense platform", an entrance ramp at the eastern end, two temple-pyramids facing each other (the larger one on the east containing the burial crypts of two men), two collapsed stelae (apparently associated with ancestor veneration), and a stone monument at the top of the ramp.[4]: 302–303  The Tunchilen group, from the same era as the Stela group, consists of a "large, open plaza flanked by a massive, 50-metre (160 ft) long winged structure".[4]: 303  The Plaintain group, dating to a different era, has a ramp to its platform facing toward Xunantunich, a building on the east side with a "corbel vaulted roof" and stucco molding, a small altar, and a crypt beneath the altar.[4]: 305–306 

The ruins are contained within the privately held Chaa Creek Nature Reserve.[7]

Flora and fauna

The Chaa Creek Nature Reserve is also a noted area for birdwatching. Over 300 species of birds have been sighted there.[8][9]

Geology

The underlying geology of this watershed can be characterised as limestone associations of foothills of the Maya Mountains.[10]

See also

  • Cahal Pech - another Maya site in the vicinity
  • The Lodge at Chaa Creek - an eco-resort and 365 acre private nature reserve located in the Cayo District of Belize, Central America.

References

  1. Belize hydrological stations Archived August 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  2. LeCount, Lisa J. "Ka'kaw Pots and Common Containers: Creating Histories and Collective Memories Among the Classic Maya of Xunantunich, Belize." Ancient Mesoamerica21.2 (2010): 341–51. Print.
  3. Fagan, Brian M. "Xunantunich: "The Maiden of the Rock"" from Black Land to Fifth Sun: The Science of Sacred Sites. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1998. 302–31. Print.
  4. LeCount, Lisa J.; Yaeger, Jason, eds. (2010). Classic Maya Provincial Politics: Xunantunich and Its Hinterlands. University of Arizona Press. ISBN 978-0-8165-2884-4. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  5. Iannone, Gyles; Cannone, Samuel V. (eds.). Perspectives on Ancient Maya Rural Complexity. p. 29. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  6. Harvard University: Archaeological research at Xunantunich and nearby areas
  7. Hogan, C. Michael (December 9, 2007). "Chaa Creek - Ancient Village or Settlement in Belize". The Megalithic Portal.
  8. "Central America, Belize". Surfbirds. Retrieved March 23, 2017. With 308 species of resident and migratory birds, the Chaa Creek Nature Reserve offers some of the best bird watching in Belize.
  9. "Chaa Creek". eBird. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  10. Arvito, Rosita et al., Geology and ecology of the Chaa Creek Nature Reserve (2004)