The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Visit Caracol

This morning, in the dense jungles of the Cayo District, the royal couple, Prince William and Kate Middleton, visited Caracol. It’s one of several stops during an official trip to Belize, the first leg of a Caribbean tour of Commonwealth nations.  It’s a packed itinerary and visiting the ancient Mayan city was one of several items on their bucket-list while in the Jewel. News Five’s Isani Cayetano reports.

Isani Cayetano, Reporting

The ascent to the summit of Caracol, the largest Maya city to be excavated in Belize, saw the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge being given a personal tour, as well as a brief history of the ancient metropolis. Resting on the Vaca Plateau in the lower reaches of the Maya Mountains, Caracol is considered as one of the most important regional political centers during the Classic Period. This morning, a little after eleven o’clock, the royal couple arrived at the remote archaeological site where they were met by Dr. Alan Moore. He is the Assistant Director of Research and Education at N.I.C.H.

Today is the third leg of their visit to Belize. With a scoop of photojournalists in their wake, Prince William and Kate Middleton made their way around Caana, the largest building at Caracol. It is also the tallest manmade structure in the country, overlooking the verdant Chiquibul Forest in the distance.

While the security detail and media pool made their way to the far-flung location by road, an arduous journey through Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, the couple was airlifted by helicopter to the nearest landing site and then took a forty-minute drive to Caracol. Historically, evidence suggests that Caracol weathered the initial part of the Maya collapse. Believing in equality, albeit symbolically, the Mayas during the Late Classic population had access to, quote-unquote, elite material goods. Nonetheless, the shift to the Terminal Classic sees a shift away from symbolic egalitarianism, when the elite developed their own ceramic traditions and had access to goods no longer available to the populace. Perhaps, these tidbits of ancient history were being shared with the royal couple during their discussion at the top of the temple.

Isani Cayetano reporting for News Five.