The Chetumal Bay area was of great importance as a commercial port, especially during the Postclassic period.
The most important pre-Hispanic settlement was Saint Rita Corozal, whose location allowed it to control trade along the RÃo Hondo and RÃo Nuevo, which connected the Caribbean coast with the interior of the Mayan Lowlands. Unfortunately the growth of the city of Corozal has destroyed most of the archaeological site, including Structure 1 which contained wall paintings dated to the Late Postclassic.
Today you can see some buildings on the outskirts, especially Structure 7, which at 17 m high was the largest on the site. Santa Rita was the capital of the Province of Chactemal upon the arrival of the Spanish, which could never be subdued, thanks to the help of Gonzalo Guerrero, a Spanish shipwreck who married the daughter of the local ruler. For this reason, Guerrero's children are considered the first mestizos on the continent, and Chetumal as the "Cradle of Mestizaje."
And the Progenitors said: Will there be only silence and immobility under the trees and the vines? It is advisable that there be someone to keep them from now on.
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