Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
Central Asia yurt night stars
Uzbekistan • 15 days, 14 nights
Central Asia Road Trip: Backroads & Bazaars
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Saquon Barkley Plaque
Kirkkasik Bedesten inside
Kirkkasik Bedesten
Someshwar Temple
Someshwar Temple
Grilled cheese and tomato soup are soulmates.
The Palisades Restaurant
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The local catch is delicious fried as well.
Terry's of Charlevoix
Carlson’s Fishery is a Great Lakes institution.
Carlson’s Fishery
The Cathedral Café maintains the building’s original church exterior.
Cathedral Café
Exterior of the historic Dyffryn Arms pub.
Dyffryn Arms
Most of what’s on the menu here comes from Michigan.
The Glenwood
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Siegfried Tieber specializes in sleight-of-hand magic using small objects, as well as mentalism, which gives the illusion of reading minds.
Does a Magician Really Never Reveal Their Tricks? AO Wants to Know.
13 days ago
Decoy’s wines reflect the terroir of California.
How a Wooden Duck Migrated From the California Wetlands to a Wine Label
15 days ago
There’s more to the French capital than the Eiffel Tower.
Dear Atlas: What Are Some Non-Touristy Things to Do in Paris?
19 days ago
The plants around Liz Dauncey in this photo are not poisonous, but many common garden and houseplants are.
Are Some of Your Favorite Houseplants Poisonous? AO Wants to Know.
26 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Belize Orange Walk Cuello Mayan Ruins

Cuello Mayan Ruins

These enigmatic ruins continue to vex archaeologists.

Orange Walk, Belize

Added By
allisonkc
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The pyramid.   allisonkc / Atlas Obscura User
The pyramid.   allisonkc / Atlas Obscura User
The pyramid at Cuello.   allisonkc / Atlas Obscura User
View of Cuello Rum Distillery from the pyramid.   allisonkc / Atlas Obscura User
The mounds are likely archaeological features.   allisonkc / Atlas Obscura User
Trees growing over a now-subterranean ceremonial complex.   allisonkc / Atlas Obscura User
Part of the Cuello Distillery complex.   allisonkc / Atlas Obscura User
The earthen mound likely covers a Mayan building.   allisonkc / Atlas Obscura User
The Cuello Distillery building.   allisonkc / Atlas Obscura User
View of the archaeological site from the distillery.   allisonkc / Atlas Obscura User
The site.   allisonkc / Atlas Obscura User
The site.   allisonkc / Atlas Obscura User
The site.   allisonkc / Atlas Obscura User
A present-day Mayan thatched building in nearby San Lorenzo. Houses of commoners at Cuello would have been similar to this.   allisonkc / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Excavated by archaeologist Norman Hammond and his team from 1975 to the late 1980s, Cuello has become a conundrum for the scholastic community. When Hammond first published radiocarbon dates for the Cuello site, the discovery mired the fields of Mesoamerican Archaeology and Mayan Studies in a deep controversy: it was, according to the data, the oldest Mayan site excavated to date.

Many scholars were quick to dismiss the report as inaccurate, and several more were, at the very least, hesitant to accept the findings as valid. An alternative method of dating the site was also employed, which involved analyzing the ceramics found and placing the site within a distinct technological “phase” based on similar pottery found at other sites. This, however, only deepened the mystery of Cuello’s age, as the results from the relative dating of the ceramics were mixed. Debate over the approximate age of Cuello still persists, with estimates ranging from 2600 BC to 1200 BC.

What is known, however, is that the residents of Cuello were sedentary maize-croppers who likely lived in thatched houses with  bases coated in plaster. Aside from maize, the prime sources of protein would have been white-tailed deer, freshwater turtles, and domesticated dogs.

Burials discovered at Cuello are often mystifying and can vary wildly. One notable interment was that of an adolescent girl, who was decapitated and buried with her head laid on her chest along with two ceramic bowls. Yet another curious burial is that of a tomb that included several grave goods of note, including artifacts made of deer bone and engraved with a pattern that would later become associated with royalty, as well as a plaque fashioned out of a human skull. Given the contents of the grave, it has been determined that this individual was likely a ruler of Cuello. Other elite burials at the site are indicated by the presence of shell and trace amounts of jade.

Two separate mass graves found at the site, each containing nearly-exclusively men with severe physical trauma, also indicate periods of warfare. Additional evidence of warfare includes the burned remains of wooden structures and the desecration of the façades of stone buildings.

A stela dating to 100 has also been found at Cuello; unlike the more visually impressive stelae found at other Mayan sites, this example from Cuello was blank, with no carvings and no indication of paint. It remains, however, an indication of the power of the rulers at Cuello. There is also evidence that indicates a traditional Mayan sweat bath was present at the site.

There has been a lull in excavations at Cuello in recent years; all that is currently unearthed at the site is its nine-stepped pyramid. But, a short walk away from the pyramid to a nearby wooded area will yield a stunning site. The untrained eye may only see hills, but beneath these mounds are what’s left of a ceremonial complex.

Related Tags

Mayan Ruins Archaeology

Know Before You Go

The ruins are located on the premises of the Cuello Rum Distillery, which is a short drive west from Orange Walk Town. While not officially open to the public, access to the ruins may be granted by the property owners and distillery operators—the Cuello family—who will usually admit people into the site during the distillery's office hours. Visitors wishing to see the ruins may want to call the distillery office beforehand, or coordinate with a local tour guide who can arrange a trip with the management at Cuello. Visitors may also want to opt for a tour of the distillery in addition to seeing the ruins. 

Community Contributors

Added By

allisonkc

Published

March 6, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.yassermusa.com/uploads/3/4/7/0/3470758/francisco_estrada-belli_the_first_maya_civilizatbookzz.org.pdf
  • https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-antiquity/article/lowland-maya-archaeology-at-the-crossroads/37A75A413EF62AA8FB7C208F32B2B9DF
  • http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/maya/Cuello-stela.pdf
  • https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/44641/10814_2004_Article_459122.pdf?sequence=1
  • http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/maya/Maya-Exploration.pdf
Cuello Mayan Ruins
Unnamed Road
Orange Walk
Belize
18.077653, -88.611259
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Altun-Ha

Rock Stone Pond, Belize

miles away

Murales del Congreso (Congress Murals)

Chetumal, Mexico

miles away

Laguna de Bacalar (Lake of Seven Colors)

Bacalar, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Belize

Belize

Central America

Places 8
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Altun-Ha

Rock Stone Pond, Belize

miles away

Murales del Congreso (Congress Murals)

Chetumal, Mexico

miles away

Laguna de Bacalar (Lake of Seven Colors)

Bacalar, Mexico

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Belize

Belize

Central America

Places 8
Stories 2

Related Places

  • Caracol archaeological site

    Chapayal, Belize

    Caracol

    This massive Maya archaeological site is home to the tallest man-made structure in Belize.

  • The characteristic architectural feature known as the “Maya arch.”

    Cozumel, Mexico

    San Gervasio

    The ruins of an important pilgrimage destination for worshippers of a Maya fertility goddess.

  • Playa del Carmen, Mexico

    Xaman-Há Ruins

    Few of the many visitors to this resort town know of its hidden Maya ruins.

  • Maya ruins can be seen in the background.

    Mérida, Mexico

    Cenote Xlacah

    One of the few places where you can visit a cenote and Maya ruins at the same time.

  • Pyramid atop the Acropolis.

    Mexico

    Chinkultic

    The Acropolis of this little-visited Mayan archaeological site offers great views of Chiapas’s Lake District.

  • View from the top

    Tikal, Guatemala

    Tikal Temple IV

    Deep in the Guatemalan jungle stands an ancient pyramid that once marked the reign of a king.

  • Floor-to-ceiling paintings cover the room.

    Bonampak, Mexico

    Murals of Bonampak

    Three small rooms in the jungle house the most elaborate and intact murals of the Mayan world.

  • The rabbit skull relief.

    Palenque, Mexico

    Rabbit Skull Relief

    The enigmatic skull gazes out over the ruins of a once-great Mayan city.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.