BELIZE
RAINFOREST, REEF, & TIKAL RUINS WORKSHOP
JULY 2005
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
This workshop offers participants an exciting opportunity to study tropical rainforests, reef ecology, and archaeology in one excursion. With lush tropical rainforests, pine savannahs, mangrove swamps and the world's second largest barrier reef, Belize sustains over 250 varieties of orchids and is one of the last stands of the elusive Jaguar. Birding in Belize is superb. Belize has over 500 species of exotic birds, with around 300 resident bird species and 200 migrant species. The Maya culture flourished in this region of ecological diversity and today various ethnic groups are represented including Creole, East Indian, Carib, Mennonite, Garifuna, and Maya Indian. Belize, formerly known as British Honduras, has a population of approximately 280,000 people and is noted for its stable democratic government. The people are friendly and enjoy sharing their natural and cultural heritage. The official language of Belize is English. Belize is bordered by Mexico on the North, Guatemala on the west, and the Caribbean Sea on the east. We cross into Guatemala for our visit to Tikal, which is near Belize’s western border.
~ Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center ~
After our arrival in Belize City and enroute to our first night’s lodging, we stop at the Belize Zoo, one of Belize's favorite environmental success stories. The Belize Zoo and Tropical Education Center was started in 1983, as a last ditch effort to provide a home for a collection of wild animals which had been included in making documentary films about tropical forests. Shortly after the backyard "zoo" began, it became evident that its Belizean visitors were unfamiliar with the their own local wildlife. Today, the Belize Zoo exists as a thriving education and conservation center dedicated to teaching local people, as well as visitors, about the many species of animals that live in Belize and the issues surrounding their survival.
~ Rainforest, Limestone Caves, & Maya Ruins in Central Belize ~
After our visit to the Belize Zoo, we continue through the village of Teakettle and off the Western Highway to the foothills of the Maya Mountains in the Cayo District of central Belize to our first rainforest destination at Pook’s Hill. Situated on a clearing of a 300-acre private nature reserve, Pook’s Hill Lodge offers well-crafted cabanas and a main lodge, circling the ruins of a small Maya residential plaza dating back to the Terminal Classic Period (c. 830-950 AD). Built in the traditional Maya style with high thatched roofs, the cabanas are fully screened, spacious, detached dwellings with electricity, roomy bathrooms, and hot-water showers. The cabanas and main building are nestled on the hillside, overlooking the lawns to the creek and dense forest below. Lantern-lit evening meals of European and Caribbean dishes are served buffet style.
Our first evening’s night hike might may turn up a Spectacled Owl, Tinamou, Kinkajoo, or Barred Forest Falcon. What you don’t see at night, you may see during your early morning bird walk the next day. Watch for Yellow-Lored Parrots and Keel-Billed Toucans, frequently seen in the area. This morning we’ll briefly acquaint you with the Iguana Rearing and Release Program. In its first year, over one hundred Green Iguanas were released in the Pook's Hill Reserve and Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve. The Iguanas are raised on the grounds. After breakfast on the first morning, we begin a jungle expedition passing through giant Mahogany, Cedar, Strangling Fig, and Ceiba. Keep our eyes peeled for the tracks of Belizean mammals such as the Tapir, Jaguar, Coatimundi, and Gibnut that call this forest their home. We’ll pack a lunch and set out to explore Barton Creek Cave. Board small boats and float among the beautiful stalactites. The Maya artifacts will give you clues to the Maya history of the cave.
Barton Creek is a large river cave over four miles long. We’ll learn about what geologists call karst topography. The cave consists of giant passages covered with numerous large speleothems over a navigable river. Recent investigations at Barton Creek Cave have provided a wealth of information toward our understanding of the importance of caves within Maya culture. To date, we know that the cave was used for a variety of purposes by the Maya including agricultural rituals, possible fertility rites, ritual bloodletting, human sacrifice, and lineage internment.
~ Green Hills Butterfly Ranch ~
During our first afternoon in Belize, we will visit the largest live butterfly display in Belize at Green Hills Butterfly Ranch, adjacent to the home of our leader, Jan Meerman, and his wife Tineke Boomsma. Tineke manages this facility housing flocks of butterflies, from brilliant blue to gorgeous orange, dazzling yellow to intriguing gray. The main flight area (2,700 sq. ft.) is an enclosed garden of specific plants that accommodate the specific nectar choices of different butterfly species and the preferences of different egg-laying butterflies. Dozens of native butterfly species are reared at Green Hills, including the iridescent Blue Morpho Butterfly. Many of the pupae of the Green Hills’ butterflies are shipped to butterfly exhibits in the U.S. Both Jan and Tineke have a special interest in research: studying interactions between different butterfly species and between butterflies and different plant species; compiling checklists; and developing field guides to the butterflies of Belize. This research has also fueled their conservation and education efforts. Green Hills also maintains living collections of several groups of plants important to butterflies either as nectar plants or caterpillar foodplants. Their special collections include Passionflowers, Bromeliads, Cycads, Heliconia, Aristolochias, and Orchids.
~ Tikal Archaeological Site ~
We leave Pook’s Hill in the early morning enroute to Tikal National Park. Tikal is nestled in the rainforest in one of the core areas of the Maya Bioshere Reserve in the Peten. (The Peten extends into Belize where it skirts around the lower slopes of the Maya Mountains reaching to the Caribbean.) Smell the rich aroma of the earth and vegetation as you walk through Ceiba, Mahogany, and Sapodilla trees on the grounds. You may see an Ocellated Turkey strutting across the Great Plaza, Actec Parrots in flight overhead, or Green Parakeets chattering in the canopy. Toucans, Motmots, and Hawks are also commonly seen at Tikal. Troops of Spider and Howler Monkey frequently sound wake-up calls in the early a.m. for visitors in the park’s lodges and you’ll see Coatimundis sniffing through the underbrush beside the paths. Other mammals, including Peccary, Brocket Deer, Weasel, Gray Fox, Puma, Ocelot, and Armadillo are present, but secretive.
The natural history experience of this destination alone makes it worth our visit, however Tikal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the reason for our visit to Tikal National Park. Tikal was one of the major cultural and population centers of the Maya civilization, with more than 3000 structures including temples and palaces. The Maya ruins at Tikal offer an intriguing look into the rich history of ancient culture in the region. Years of work to unearth and document this site make this one of the most interesting Maya sites to visit. The name "Tikal" means "Place of Voices," "Place of Tongues," or “Center of Echoes” in Maya.
At Tikal, we observe the craftsmanship and grandeur of several of the excavated temples as we walk through the archaeological site. Two of Tikal’s six pyramids border the Great Plaza, where the Temple of the Giant Jaguar (170 feet high) faces the Temple of the Two-Headed Serpent (a steep climb for visitors of nearly 140 feet to the top). As part of the complex (38 structures) known as the Lost World, the Great Pyramid is designed with steps on all four sides. It is one of Tikal’s most impressive structures and was the Maya’s earliest existing astronomical observatory. The North Complexes, Central Acropolis, West Plaza, Plaza of the Seven Temples, Temple of the Inscriptions, and South Acropolis, each have stories of origin, purpose, and uniqueness. You’ll want to save time to re-visit Temple IV and scale the wooden steps and ladders that take you to the top for a panaramic view across the jungle canopy and tops of other temples in the distance.
Building on the inherited inventions and ideas of earlier civilizations such as the Olmec, the Maya developed astronomy, calendar systems, and hieroglyphic writing. The Maya were noted as well for elaborate and highly decorated ceremonial architecture, including temple-pyramids, palaces and observatories, built mainly of limestone and without metal tools. Tikal was at its height in the Maya Classic Period, approximately 200 AD to 850 AD. The population gradually declined until the site was abandoned by the end of the 10th century. Archaeologists still don’t know what led the Maya to abandon Tikal and other major cities.
Walking through the grounds, one can imagine Tikal at its peak: the crowded plazas where merchants bartered for ceramic vessels; local artisans fashioning magnificent jade ornaments for the Nobles; the smoke of copal incense signaling the ritual activites of the shaman or priest, brightly colored city palaces glistening in the tropical sun; cheering fans rallying the competition on the ball courts; pilgrims gathering at a sacred shrine to worship; a scribe carving a stelae to record the great deeds of a king. On the outskirts, farmers used irrigation to cultivate beans, corn, and other crops. Due to the site’s remoteness (several days travel through the jungle on foot or mule), no scientific expedition visited Tikal until 1848. While as many as 12 square miles have been mapped, it is estimated the residential area of Tikal covered over 23 square miles.
After a full day and a half, our observations and experiences at Tikal expand our appreciation for the effort and dedication of archaeologists in their work to help us better understand the rich culture and history of the Maya. There are two museums on the grounds for your further study. We leave Tikal in the early hours of the morning to see local farmers, hundreds of years later, who are yet planting their crops by hand. We reflect on the nature of the economy in Guatemala, along with similarities and differences already evident with the country of Belize. Our observations of Maya ruins as we pass overland between Guatemala and Belize give us a greater appreciation of the cultural connections between these two countries.
~ Exploring the Underwater World of Belize's Barrier Reef ~
We drive along Hummingbird Highway to Pelican Beach Resort, near the small Creole town of Dangriga. This Belizean-owned lodge's thatch-roof cabanas feature wooden cathedral ceilings, large decks, and hot water showers. At the main lodge, Pelican Beach takes pride in one of the largest palm-thatch roofs in Belize and providing family-style meals with plenty of fresh seafood to accompany their Belizean hospitality. Offshore lies superb snorkeling in the clear waters surrounding beautiful islands, near varieties of mangroves, and around the myriad of corals of the Barrier Reef of Belize which, spanning 195 miles, runs the entire length of the country. Enjoy the crystal waters of the Caribbean's vibrant hues of blue from our island lodging at South Water Caye. The island is a paradise with white sand beaches and palm trees. Walk directly off the island into the shallow waters for an incredible snorkeling experience. We familiarize ourselves with snorkeling equipment and review proper technique and procedures before our first snorkeling experience. Life vests are provided for everyone as we begin in shallow water and become comfortable with our gear. We travel by boat to several southern cayes, including Man-O'-War Caye, home to many frigate birds, for snorkeling and sightseeing.
Over 220 types of fish as well as hundreds of invertebrate species can be found along the magnificent reef structure. We discover brightly colored Wrasse, Hamlet, Angel and Parrot Fish as well as Banded Coral Shrimp, Octopus, Sea Anemone and a variety of both hard and soft corals in all colors and shapes. It is not uncommon to find Manatees, Sea Turtles, Golden-spotted Morays, Gorgonia Forest, Giant Lettuce Coral and just about every other form of Caribbean Sea life in the southern waters of Belize. Our marine experiences will provide a background for discussions of important coastal environmental issues and reef protection initiatives.
~ The Rainforest: Nature's Sanctuary ~
Our study of rainforests begins in Central Belize and Tikal National Park, and continues at Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. Created by the Belizean government for the protection of Jaguar, the sanctuary is the only protected area within the entire Jaguar range that is managed specifically for this feline. This unique sanctuary covers an area of about 150 square miles of tropical forest. It is the culmination of many years of work and perseverance by individuals as well as national and international organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund. Huge buttressed Kaway trees (Pterocarpus officinalis) grace areas of the Jaguar preserve giving the rainforest the appearance of an enchanted forest. Here we look for the caterpillar of the blue Morpho Butterfly, which feeds on the leaves of the Kaway. Though it is very unlikely to see Jaguar as they are primarily nocturnal, we may see evidence of their presence.
Strangler Fig trees with roots engulfing the trunks of other trees are frequently seen. These trees begin as epiphytes, when bird, bat or monkey droppings deposit seeds in convenient crevices. The Ceiba, a sacred tree in the rainforest, towers on forest margins and river sides. Like the Kaway, magnificent buttresses support the Ceiba. Photos documenting the selective logging in the Cockscomb Basin in years past reveal why we see few Mahogany and Cedar trees. The large, dark brown nests that we see belong to Arboreal Termites—decomposers who release the nutrients locked in the dead wood back into the soil. Leaf Cutting Ants transporting freshly cut leaf pieces wear thin bare trails en route to their underground nests that contain up to five million workers. We take advantage of the rainforest as a learning laboratory by spending much of our time in the field.
~ Coastal Belize: A Rich Cultural Experience ~
Our afternoon visit to the Garifuna Village of Hopkins introduces an intriguing culture. The Garifuna, or Black Caribs, are descendants of shipwrecked African slaves and Amerindians who settled in Belize almost 200 years ago. They landed near Hopkins in the same area where they live to this day, still maintaining their own language, customs and music.
The Sittee River empties into the Caribbean a short distance from Hopkins. A small Creole fishing village sprawls along the river’s edge, offering an opportunity for cultural comparisons. The Sittee River provides critical habitat for the Manatee. This marine mammal frequents areas where fresh water flows into the ocean. Belize is a safe haven for the largest number of West Indian Manatee in the Caribbean. Manatees surface to breathe about every four minutes and often make a loud blowing sound as their nostrils briefly break the surface.
We continue our informal discussions in the evenings, reflecting on our experiences and making connections with the environment in our own backyard. The dance presentation of the Garifuna youth is a special feature at the end of our workshop week. During our closing ceremonies, we celebrate our adventures and experiences and prepare for an early departure on our final day.