Dan Snow is heading deep into the jungles of Belize to uncover the story of one of the most significant Maya archaeological discoveries in decades.
Last year, archaeologists working at Caracol discovered the burial chamber of one of the Maya civilization’s greatest rulers, Te K’ab Chaak, the founder of the Caracol dynasty. Inside they found treasures including jadeite ornaments and ritual pottery.
In partnership with the Belize Tourism Board, Dan Snow the British historian, television presenter, and broadcaster best known for hosting the podcast and digital network History Hit and a production crew, have traveled across Belize to explore the country’s rich Maya heritage.
The team visited the ancient city of Lamanai and its iconic Mask Temple, ventured into remote cave systems once used for Maya rituals, and met with the archaeologists behind the landmark Caracol discovery to understand what this extraordinary find reveals about Maya civilization.
Forget Mexico, go to Belize.” – Dan Snow
While millions of travelers flock to the famous Maya sites of Mexico and Guatemala, Belize remains one of Central America’s best-kept secrets, home to vast jungle-covered sites, sacred caves, ancient temples and living Maya traditions that remain largely unexplored by international audiences.
“People think they need to go to Mexico to experience the Maya world, but Belize is every bit as extraordinary and arguably even more adventurous,” said Dan Snow. “You travel down crocodile-inhabited rivers to reach hidden cities emerging from the jungle canopy, explore caves filled with evidence of ancient rituals and meet communities where Maya culture still thrives today. The recent discovery at Caracol is hugely exciting. Speaking to the archaeologists behind it offered a fascinating glimpse into how discoveries like this continue to reshape our understanding of the ancient Maya.”
Across the series, Dan traces the rise and fall of Maya civilization, exploring its sophisticated cities, belief systems, environmental ingenuity and the unanswered questions surrounding both the collapse of the Classic Maya world and the later impact of Spanish conquest.
The productions also spotlights Belize and showcase the country’s growing focus on eco-tourism, conservation and archaeological preservation and meet the archaeologists behind the internationally reported 2025 discovery of the royal tomb at Caracol.
“Secrets of the Maya’” releases June 25th with new History Hit network collection including two YouTube films and a two-part narrative podcast mini-series – ‘The Rise of the Maya’ and ‘The Fall of the Maya’ on Dan Snow’s History Hit.
