Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
sight. After that comes a quick succession of little
Maya villages
, which the most
obvious first stop being the ancient site of
Nim Li Punit
.
Nim Li Punit
Southern Hwy, 35 miles south of Independence junction, 5 miles north of Big Falls • Daily 9am-5pm • Bz$10 • Buses along Southern Hwy
will stop at entrance
The Late Classic Maya site of
NIM LI PUNIT
, just west of the Southern Highway,
occupies a commanding position on a ridge above the Kekchí Maya village of
Indian
Creek
, with views over the maize fields to the coastal plain. The scene can barely have
changed since ancient times. Discovered only in 1976, Nim Li Punit is thought to have
been allied to nearby Lubaantun (see opposite), and to have had some sort of long-
term connection with Copán in Honduras.
Steps lead up from the site car park to its
visitor centre
. Nim Li Punit is chiefly
noteworthy as home to some of the largest and best-preserved stelae in Belize, which
are now sheltered in the adjoining
Stela House
. A total of 25
stelae
were found here,
eight of them carved. The tallest of the lot, and one of the tallest anywhere in the Maya
world, is
Stela 14
, at almost 30ft high. Never actually erected, it's a magnificent
spectacle, with panels of glyphs above and a richly attired ruler. His elaborate headgear
is responsible for Nim Li Punit's modern name, Kekchí for “big hat”. Although the
“name glyph” that signifies its ancient name has been identified, the name itself
remains unknown.
Stela 15
, dated to 721 AD and the earliest here, is even more impressive.
Carvings on this great slab depict a ruler in the act of dropping an offering
- perhaps
copal
incense or corn kernels - into a burning brazier supported on the
back of a monster, in order to conjure up a vision of
Waxaklahun Ubah Kan
, or
“Mosaic War Serpent”, the ruler's battle standard. To the right, a smaller figure also
6
NIM LI PUNIT
Plaza
Akam
The West
Group
Tombs
2 & 3
Plaza of the
Royal Tombs
Tomb 1
Ninki Pec
Plaza
Ball-court
Plaza of the
Stelae
Northern
Terraces
The South
Group
The East
Group
0
metres
50
Stela House &
Visitor Centre
0
yards
50
Southern Highway (0.5 miles)
