Temple of Masonry Altars by junge1

Photography • Historical • posted on Feb 27, 2011

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Description

The Temple of Masonry Altars is the largest and most important temple at Altun Ha (Maya for Rockstone Pond). It rises 60-ft above Plaza 'B' and it was the last of a number of buildings constructed and dates from the first half of the 7th century AD. Excavation of this structure in 1968 revealed many burials of important officials. The temple was probably the main focus of religious ceremonies, with a single stairway running up the front to an altar at the top. Seven layers of tombs were found under the central stairway block, now exposed. The most impressive was the earliest. Inside the intact crypt, lying on the right wrist of the skeleton entombed there was a jade head representing the sun god Kinich Ahau. Smaller jade objects were also found, along with pottery vessels, modified shells foreign to the area, a Pyrex mirror, and a number of beautifully crafted eccentric flints. The body was originally covered by Jaguar and Cougar skins and the entire tomb was covered in red pigment. A drawing of this structure is the logo of Belize's leading brand of beer, 'Belikin'. The pictures for the previous upload were taken from the top of this temple. This picture was taken on 3 December 2010, Sig...