{"id":4486,"date":"2020-02-10T11:23:16","date_gmt":"2020-02-10T17:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitcentroamerica.com\/visitar\/altun-ha-2\/"},"modified":"2025-07-28T00:25:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T06:25:17","slug":"altun-ha","status":"publish","type":"pit","link":"https:\/\/www.visitcentroamerica.com\/en\/visit\/altun-ha\/","title":{"rendered":"Altun Ha"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Altun<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Altun Ha, the archaeological site closest to Belize City, was a major\u00a0Mayan culture ceremonial center<\/strong>\u00a0and the discovery site of\u00a0Belize\u2019s famous Jade Head<\/strong>.<\/h4><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Altun Ha functioned as a central trading link between the Caribbean coast and Maya centers in the interior during the Maya Classic Period. Two (2) main plazas with roughly 13 Maya temples and residential structures have been excavated here.<\/p>\n

A unique feature of this site is the absence of carved stelae, while its most notable artifact is a large jade carving of\u00a0the Maya sun god \u201cKinich Ahau.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0Weighing almost 10 pounds, this 6-inch carving is the largest carved jade object to be found in any Mayan community in the region. A replica of the\u00a0\u201cJade Head,\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0a national treasure, is on display at the Central Bank of Belize<\/strong>, and its likeness is watermarked on all Belizean currency.<\/p>\n

The jade from which this artifact was made was imported from ancient mines along the Motagua River valley in eastern Guatemala. Today the jade head is considered\u00a0the crown jewel of Belize.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

GEOPOSITION<\/h2><\/div>