Fodor's Expert Review Lubaantun

Lubaantun, which lies beyond the village of San Pedro Columbia, is southern Belize's premier Maya site and sight. The Late Classic complex was rediscovered in 1924 by German archaeologist Thomas Gann, who gave it a name meaning "place of fallen stones." Lubaantun must have been an awe-inspiring sight: on top of a conical hill, with views to the sea in one direction and the Maya Mountains in the other, its stepped layers of white-plaster stone would have towered above the jungle like a wedding cake. Lubaantun's structures are notable for their rounded corners and precision cutting, with no mortar needed to fit the stones together. No one knows exactly what function the structures served, but the wealth of miniature masks and whistles found suggests it was a center of ceramic production. (The altars so common to other Maya sites are nowhere to be found here.) The trio of ball courts and the central plaza with tiered seating for 10,000 spectators seems like a Maya Madison Square Garden, and you'll occasionally see kids kicking around a soccer ball here. There's a small visitor center at the site. Although this is southern Belize's largest Maya site, visitors are few during the week, and you might find you have the whole place to yourself. Most tour operators in Punta Gorda can arrange trips to Lubaantun, or you can visit by rental car, an easy trip down the San Antonio Road.