AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums About Belize Culture CHAC BALAM: a novel by S. J. Mazzullo

Dr. Sal Mazzullo, a long time friend, and who has brought students from Wichita State University to Belize for many many years, has written a new book.

CHAC BALAM

a novel by S. J. Mazzullo

An event transpired in the Maya world 2000 years ago that Maya high priests recorded in artifacts they safeguarded in a hidden temple in Belize. The Spanish church learned of the event in the early 1500s and brutally murdered thousands of Maya priests in Central America to guard a secret that would have toppled the church had it been made known to the world. Five centuries later, after discovering enigmatic Maya artifacts beneath an ancient temple ruin deep in the jungle of northern Ambergris Caye, geologist Dr. Jim Stewart and his archaeological colleagues are unexplainably beaten and jailed by local authorities, and then left to die in a cave beneath the temple. After a daring escape, they are pursued across Belize and then into the U.S. by a relentless madman who is intent on killing them for reasons unknown to them. While running for their lives, they eventually learn the madman's identity, and uncover the startling ancient Maya secret by decoding the artifacts they managed to keep. Now aware of the church's centuries-old cover-up of the secret and involvement in their plight, they flee to Europe to confront the church in a final bid for their survival.

S.J. ("Dr. Sal") Mazzullo lives in Kansas with his wife. He has been a lover of Belize and San Pedro Town on Ambergris Caye for 35 years, and has traveled there well over a 100 times to study its geology and to imbibe in the local rum and beer. The idea to write this story was born while he assisted on several archaeological excavations in the steamy, mosquito-ridden jungles on Ambergris Caye and mainland Belize. His fascination with the ancient Maya evolved from 30 years studying the geology and Maya geoarchaeology of Ambergris Caye and environs, which has led to many published scientific papers on these subjects.

Until the book appears in bookstores in about 8 weeks, it can be ordered at www.rosedogbookstore.com or email [email protected].

Hey alright! Although I'm a bit hazy on the location of the "steamy jungles of Ambergris Caye" I'm always up for a good yarn...I was half expecting the copy to read



Does the DaVinci Code go Maya?! Who knows...

http://rosedogbooks-store.stores.yahoo.net/chacbalm.html

The steamy jungles of Ambergris Caye are alive and well! Chac Balam and those jungles (actually a littoral forest) are in the Bacalar Chico Park on the real north end of the island. The forest here can not be seen in San Pedro, as geologically the island is different from north to south.
A Field Guide to the Natural History of Bacalar Chico National Park and Marine Reserve published by Green Reef has good information about the Maya sites on the north end of Ambergris Caye. Many in which Dr. Sal has played an important role in documenting.

I can't wait to read this new book!

Congratulations to Dr. Sal on the publication of his new book. Hope he will soon make it available on Amazon.com.