As anthropologist Joe Awe explained to the guests who attended the unveiling ceremony held at Chaa Creek, the ancient Maya used the carved stone monuments to record important dates and events in their various city-states spread across the vast Maya empire, which covered all of Belize and parts of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

Last month we hosted renowned Mayanist Dr Mark Van Stone, author of the recently released book, 2012 – Science and Prophecy of the Ancient Maya as part of our 2012 year-long series of Maya presentations, special tours and events.

The year 2012 has spurred interest in the Maya people and the outlook toward this enigmatic civilization grows each day as we approach the winter solstice of 2012. In the Maya Heartland of Belize, the Maya are very much in our presence and we honor their hard work and dedication in contributing to Belize’s rich heritage.