94
FEBRUARY 2013
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HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
THREE PERFECT DAYS
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BELIZE
nobility, who would bind infants’ foreheads
so they would be flat like the Jaguar God’s.
(
One king, in fact, went by the name “Jade-
Mouth Jaguar,” which rivals the modern
world’s very best hip-hop pseudonyms.) But
inCaracol, themiddle classwas allowed a por-
tion of bling as well. Though this suggests a
rather enlightened leadership, it also caused
problems for less generous kings, who feared
that if their people found out what was hap-
pening here, they would revolt.
The centerpiece of the site is Caana, the
erstwhile royal residence—which, at 14o
feet, is still Belize’s tallest structure. As you
approach it along a wooded path, Jorge
tells you, “Fix your eyes to the ground
and don’t look up until I tell you to.”
You look up. “Head down!”When you
get to the clearing, Jorge gives you
the all-clear, and you behold a
WALKING THE PLANKS
The view
from the pier-end bar at Robert’s
Grove Beach Resort in Placencia
