And with all that expanse, Caracol has been looted over the decades - and who knows what all was taken and not accounted for? The Chases were sent there by the Archaeology Department in 1985 for just that reason. Dr Arlen Chase explains:
Dr Arlen Chase, Archaeologist
"There were five looters camps at Caracol when we got there in 1985. Had we not been to Caracol, we would have lost most of the data from that site."
"There are still incursions into the Caracol area from illicit and illegal looters that are coming across the border. There definitely needs to be more preservation of these sites. We made sure that this site was guarded while we were excavating it for over a month."
Dr. Melissa Badillo, Director - Institute of Archaeology
"Part of this really brings to the forefront the need for continued safeguarding, protection and preservation of Belize's cultural heritage, because while this find is within the Caracol Archeological Reserve, there are so many Maya sites scattered across the Belizean landscape that that remain undiscovered."
"This is the reason why we want to have presence on site. Caracol, for instance, we have both the TPU, the tourism police unit and the Belize Defense Force, who are stationed on site year round."
We'll let you know when these new discoveries will go on display in Belize.
