The Mask Temple (Structure N9-56) is the oldest of Lamanai’s three excavated temples, built around 200 BC and modified until 1300 AD. It features two large 13-foot limestone masks with Olmec-like features, added around 400 AD, both wearing crocodile headdresses—a nod to Lamanai’s name (“Submerged Crocodile”).
A male tomb with jade and shell ornaments was found inside, and a nearby female tomb may be linked. To protect the original masks from erosion, fiberglass replicas now cover them1.
