The Mask Temple (officially known as Lamanai Structure N9-56) is a

Maya civilization The Maya civilization () of the Mesoamerican people is known by its ancient temples and glyphs. Its Maya script is the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas. It is also noted for its art, a ...

structure at the

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...

Lamanai Lamanai (from ''Lama'anayin'', "submerged crocodile" in Yucatec Maya) is a Mesoamerican archaeological site, and was once a major city of the Maya civilization, located in the north of Belize, in Orange Walk District. The site's name is pre-Columb ...

, in present-day

Orange Walk District Orange Walk District is a district in the northwest of the nation of Belize, with its district capital in Orange Walk Town. Main settlements The Orange Walk District, with an area of 1,829 square miles (4,636 square km), is located north-northw ...

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

. It is the smallest of three excavated

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, ...

temples at Lamanai (the two other temples are the

Jaguar Temple The Jaguar Temple (officially known as Lamanai Structure N10-9) is a stepped-pyramid structure at the Maya archaeological site of Lamanai, located in present-day Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country o ...

and High Temple). Construction most likely began c. 200 BC, and the temple was modified until c. 1300 AD. A mask carving is exposed on the right side wall. Like the rest of the temple, the mask is made from

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

. The mask has

Olmec The Olmecs () were the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization. Following a progressive development in Soconusco, they occupied the tropical lowlands of the modern-day Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco. It has been speculated that ...

facial features, particularly its upturned lip and broad nose, and is thirteen feet tall. Another carving had been covered by a stone wall on the left side; it was uncovered in the spring of 2011, revealing an identical mask. This reflects the tradition of symmetry in Mayan architecture. The masks were a much later addition, dating c. 400 AD, about 600 years after the temple's original construction. The masks are adorned with the headdress of a crocodile, falling in line with Lamanai's namesake which, translated, means "Submerged Crocodile." Because the original masks are made from limestone, they are at risk of erosion from prolonged exposure to weathering. The limestone also wears down from overexposure to the chemicals in sunscreen and the oils from hands. To protect the masks, fiberglass replicas were placed over them. Inside the Mask Temple is a tomb that holds the remains of a man with jade and shell jewelry. Additionally, the tomb once held textiles and mats. Nearby the temple is a second, smaller tomb holding the remains of a woman. Both tombs date from around the same time and likely hold two of Lamanai's former rulers. Their relation is only speculative.

References

Lamanai Mask Maya architecture Pyramids in Belize {{Mesoamerica-stub