What is now Belize was part of the heartland of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization. A number of notable Maya ruins can be found in Belize.

Caracol, translated as 'The Snail' in Spanish, is situated in the Belizean part of the Peten rainforest. The city was the centre of one of the largest Maya kingdoms and contains even today an impressive number of structures. Caracol was an important player in the political struggles of the Classical era, and appears to have been allied with Calakmul in Campeche, Mexico against mighty Tikal in Guatemala.