Belizean archaeologist publishes guidebook to local sites
Belizean archaeologist Dr. Jaime Awe has done it again. Just months after releasing his book 101 Questions and Answers about the Ancient Maya, he is back promoting another publication. Maya Cities and Sacred Caves: A Guide to the Maya Sites of Belize includes maps, photographs, descriptions, and historical information on ten ancient cities and three caves spread throughout the country. Today Awe told us that it is sure to be a hit with students and those working in the tourism industry.
Dr. Jaime Awe, Author, Maya Cities and Sacred Caves
?It then provides a sort of a guide to all the Maya sites that are open to the public in Belize and then some. Even though other people have written guidebooks on some of the sites, this one provides the guide to all of them in one volume. In addition to that, cave tourism in Belize has become very, very popular and yet there is no information about the caves. This book, for the first time, includes several of the caves sites, like Actun Tunichil Muknal, like Barton Creek caves, like Caves Branch or Nohoch Che?en Caves Branch Reserve, so it?s very comprehensive in that sense.?
?A book of this nature reaches out to the general public. It?s not written for academics, but even people in academia can purchase it and will get some new information. It is also written for the tour guides. Belize now makes a major part of?many Belizeans make a part of their living from tourism and the tour guide will find information in here that they can appropriate and then pass on to visitors. But even the kids in school, because of the Maya studies programme now, I have kids in my neighbourhood come up to me all the time and ask me, what does this site mean, where is this site. Now kids in school can have access to this information.?
The book is published by Cubola Productions and is available at stores countrywide for around twenty-five dollars. Awe is the Director of the Institute of Archaeology, an arm of the National Institute of Culture and History.
