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Joined: Oct 1999
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Western Belize - Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Caves - St. Ignacio - Cayo District

The Cayo district, in western Belize (at the border with Guatemala), is home to the renowned 3-miles long Actun Tunichil Muknal Caves. This Maya archaeological site contains a notable collection of ceramics, stoneware and human skeletons. Among others, the best known is the skeleton of a teenage girl, known as the Crystal Maiden.

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ATM Cave Tour: One of the Best Activities in Belize and a Bucket-List Must!

Belize is well known for its�world-class diving along the western hemisphere’s largest barrier reef, yes. But there’s a littler-known activity on the mainland that’s a total must for adventure travelers: the absolutely amazing ATM cave tour.

When I read about the sacred ATM cave — that’s forActun Tunichil Muknal, no relation to the cash machine — I knew we had to try it. I did some research on the web (thanks, as always, trusty TripAdvisor!) and reached out to Carlos, who goes by “Carlos the Cave Man.” People seemed to love his expert leadership and charisma on tours through world’s top sacred cave, according to National Geographic. He’s one of only 23 guides in the country certified to lead the experience.

Getting to the ATM Cave Tour From Ambergris Caye: San Pedro to Belmopan

Since we were staying on the island of Ambergris Caye, our day required taking the first Tropic Air flight to the Belmopan airstrip on the mainland at 8 a.m., and returning on the last flight of the day at 4 p.m. When I called the airline to arrange the flights, I asked if they would be nonstop. “That depends on whether anyone wants to make a stop,” the Tropic Air lady said, and she had no interest in a credit card to hold the reservation — which is actually more your name jotted on a clipboard than a formal business transaction.

Belmopan airstrip, Belize

This is the Belmopan “airport.” Needless to say, it was not hard to find our ATM cave tour guide, Carlos the Cave Man.

And separately, I asked Carlos, “How will we find you once we reach the airstrip?” He said matter of factly, “I’ll be the only person there.” Fair enough!

On the day we were to go on the tour, I was so excited, I was up at 4:30 a.m., and for my troubles, I was rewarded with an incredible sunrise view over our beautiful Victoria House resort.

But all packed up and ready to go, we got the word from Carlos before 7 a.m.: The tour is off as the cave is closed due to the river’s high water level and flooding after rain. (I later learned this happens only a couple of dozen times or so annually.) I easily shook off my disappointment with a gorgeous day of standup paddle boarding, napping by the pool, and snorkeling the insanely magical Hol Chan marine reserve. But the delay only served to heighten the mystery surrounding the experience.

The next day, packed and fired up, we got word from Carlos at 6:30 a.m.: It’s on. So we hopped on a golf cart over to the Tropic Air San Pedro airstrip, where picked up the cutest Fanta-sponsored boarding passes and boarded what ended up being the first leg of the flight: a 17-minute trip to Belize City, while we waited for the fog to clear in Belmopan. Hubby scored the copilot position next to the pilot on the seven seater. (A dream for a grown man whose favorite iPad diversion is a flight simulator app.)

On the next, 18-minute leg to Belmopan, we were the only two passengers on the flight. At roughly the cost of a parking ticket in Los Angeles, it had to be the cheapest private charter ever.

And it was such a thrill! I sat up front next to the pilot, and basically tried not to push the pedals on the floor (it would honestly be just like me to flail around in excitement and send the plane careening out of control). So much fun and excitement already, and we weren’t even anywhere near the cave.

Tropic Air BZE to Belmopan for ATM cave tour

Just the pilot, hubby, and me from Belize City to Belmopan via Tropic Air. I call shotgun!

When we landed in Belmopan, sure enough, there was no one there but Carlos — along with Tamal from London and Max from the U.S., the two other guys who’d be joining us through the cave. Also in the truck was a naturalist named Mart�n, who’d actually be guiding our tour since Carlos was in pain from a flare-up from an old injury he suffered during a training session that covered how to remove incapacitated people from the cave if necessary. (Probably just don’t get incapacitated in there would be my best advice.)

And away we went down a paved road, where we stopped for water (and, as it turned out, a solicitation of “party supplies” from an opportunistic Belizean near the store), and then down about 10 miles of dirt road to a ranger station where our hike to the cave would begin.

Hike to the ATM Cave Entrance

We loaded up on bug spray, and set off�on the hike to the cave entrance. There are three significant river crossings, especially deep in the rainy season. I hiked in Keens with socks (a hideously not-cute look, but this was about function), and the guys were in either hiking boots or tennis shoes. The jungle is impossibly lush and gorgeous.�Mart�n pointed out insects, fruits, foliage — and even jaguar tracks. (Best not to think too hard about that while you’re out there.)

Drive from Belmopan to ATM cave

The drive from Belmopan had its share of video game-style, off-road moments/miles. All part of the adventure!

It’s here I’ll pause to note that we’d left all cameras in the car, as they’re no longer allowed in the cave since, last year, a tourist dropped one on an ancient skull and damaged the relic badly. (My first thought on learning this: What an idiot. My second thought: Ugh, that could have easily been me — klutz of all klutzes. Oh, and then a bonus third thought: I hope that guy wasn’t American.) So we were forced to really be there in the moment, experiencing, seeing, smelling, touching, listening to�Mart�n’s education. If you know me, you’d know I’d never choose to be without a camera, but being forced to abandon it was probably the best thing for us that day. (And that’s one to grow on.)

After about a mile and a half, and shortly before the cave entrance, there’s actually a picnic bench where we sat and ate the burritos, plantain chips, and sour sop juice Carlos and�Mart�n had picked up for us. (Thanks, Snoop Lion, for the heads up on sour sop juice — you weren’t kidding, it’s so good!)

And when we rounded the next bend, there it was: the entrance to the ATM cave, so lush and vine-y, turquoise water pooling at the mouth, it looked like it had to be a Hollywood movie set. (Thanks to�the internets and Belize Escape Artist for the photo I borrowed above.) Straight out of Indiana Jones.

ATM Cave Tour: At Last!

We entered the cave by swimming through that first pool, I think about 10 feet deep, wearing helmets and headlamps. Inside, it’s stalactites, stalagmites, and rocks that range from jagged and lethal looking to silky smooth. A couple of bats fluttered about. Apart from them — and an isolated, harmless-looking spider or two — there was no life save for this kind of invisible energy that seemed connected to the ancient Mayans who left evidence of their haunting civilization inside.

At a certain point, after we’d left the last sign of daylight from the cave entrance behind,�Mart�n instructed us to turn off our headlamps. With him at the head of the pack, we each put a right hand on the shoulder of the person in front of us and waded through chamber after chamber, navigating rocks underfoot and all around us. It was an exercise in total trust, which the unflappably solemn�Mart�n said, and I’m paraphrasing, was “the whole goal of life.” It made no difference if eyes were open or closed. Total and complete darkness.

At some point, we again turned on our headlamps and continued to navigate our way through chamber after chamber, some in shallow water, or no water, and in other cases water deep enough to require swimming rather than wading. We passed through passages in rocks so narrow, one actually required positioning of your head above a notch only wide enough for your neck. (Pause again to note: This activity is only open to a maximum of 125 people daily, and during the slow season, perhaps 50 people passed through on the day we went. It’s not open to children younger than 12, and adequate physical fitness is required — but no mention seems to be made anywhere about size, which seems totally relevant to the discussion.)

The "Crystal Maiden." Photo credit: Belize.com

The “Crystal Maiden.

Ascending higher and higher into various cave chambers by carefully, patiently bouldering our way along, and at one point climbing an extension ladder tied to a rock wall, we eventually ended up in an area filled with scattered remains of 1,200-year-old Mayan civilization: pottery, evidence of fire and bloodletting — and indeed bones of sacrificed humans. The most magnificent of these is the so-called “Crystal Maiden,” a totally intact and fully calcified skeleton of a sacrificed girl believed to be about 16. Her bones glittered under our headlamps.

Also nearby is the now badly damaged skull of a child — following the great camera/tourist incident of 2012. Major party foul, dude.

Separating you from these ruins are merely unsecured bands of tape or ribbon on the ground meant to indicate where to walk — and more to the point, where not to walk. (We removed our shoes and walked this area in socks only.)

It’s in this area that we saw the only other tourists of the day, two other groups (each larger than ours), who’d arrived in the series of chambers at the same time. Those of us in�Mart�n’s group all agreed a smaller tour was much better, for reflective quiet, for education absorption, and for the careful personal guidance our leader gave us when it came to gingerly placing our feet over treacherous cave walls and boulders.

Tropic Air Belmopan to San Pedro Belize

So yeah, the security line was a breeze at Belmopan.

After exploring the area, it was back down slowly, approximately the way we came, all of us kind of stunned about what we’d seen — and me often turning to hubby to give him the pantomime click of the camera like Pam and Jim in The Office wedding, to record these mental moments you know are just once in a lifetime.

(In return, he’d give me the hand symbol for “OK,” the universal way to tell your scuba buddy you’re not in peril — and our silent way of communicating general awe and happiness, under water or above it, since we got our scuba certifications.)

Back near the cave entrance again, Mart�n suggested we could take a slight detour if we were up for it, down a sort of natural water slide with a super-strong current that dumped each of us in sequence into an unfamiliar chamber. Each of us but Mart�n, that is. We called out his name a few times — nothing. Hm. Eventually, of course, we saw his headlamp glow from a chamber above and we all reunited for the final trek out. (Later, I asked him what was up with that? And he said, “Well, you all seemed like you had some more energy to burn off, so I let you feel a little lost and get worked up about it.” And it was true: We were all so excited.)

Caprice Bar and Grill, San Perdro, Ambergris Caye, Belize

A toast to adventure!

Finally, we saw a few faint rays of light, and eventually found the large pool at the cave entrance again. Looking outside it now at the above-ground world — vines, trees, animal sounds, pooled water reflected in sunlight — it was somehow like seeing the whole world for the first time again.

And it’s so, so pretty, isn’t it?

From there, it was high fives all around and then a rather quick version of our hike back to Carlos’ truck at the ranger station, where we quickly changed into dry clothes and hustled so David and I could catch the last flight of the day out of Belmopan. Back over the dirt road, through the river crossing, and back down several more miles of paved roads lined with isolated horseback riders, colorful shanties — and we were again at the Belmopan airstrip. I noticed it was 3:49 for a 4 p.m. flight. When we arrived, the passenger list was complete (there were two others this time), so we actually left a few minutes early, at 3:56, for our quick trip back to Ambergris Caye. (The plane seemed so small and car-ish, I kept glancing up to use the rear view to check what was surely my disastrous hair situation. But nope, no rear-view mirrors in the air.)

Back in San Pedro town, it was barely 4:30, and we were starving after one of our best shared adventure travel days ever — just about up there with rafting the Telaga Waja River in Bali at the tail end of the rainy season — so we sat down for dinner at the beachfront bar and restaurant Caprice right away for a big meal and a toast. A toast to the day, a toast to Belize, and a toast to great adventures — all those both in the bag and yet to come.

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10 Things You Didn't Know About Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave

The Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave (or the ATM for short) is one of the top adventurous and thrilling experiences Belize has to offer. The cave is found in the beautiful Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve located in the foothills of the Maya Mountains in Western Belize. Here are ten interesting things you might not know about this ancient Maya sitet:

1) The name Actun Tunichil Muknal means, "Cave of the Stone Sepulcher", and locally known as "Xibalba", roughly translated to "a place of fear".

2) The cave was first discovered in 1989 and opened to the public in 1998. Dr. Jamie Awe was the first person to explore the cave, and along with his Western Belize Regional Cave Project they conducted archeological research there from 1993-2000.

3) The cave is a full 5 kilometers deep (roughly 3 miles) but tourist are only brought 3,5 kilometers into the cave.

4) Inside the cave over 1400 artifacts has been found and catalogued. Among these artifacts are ceramic pottery, water vessels, tools and weapons dated al the way back to AD 250-909. It is to this day one of the most impressive and artifact rich caves ever found.


5) A famous artifact found is the "Monkey Pot", which is decorated with a monkey near the pot's rim. It is one of four located across Central America with such characteristic decoration.

6) It is believed that the cave was a sacred place used by the Maya people to perform their sacrificing rituals. The Maya people believed that the gods who provided rain and agricultural fertility resided in the underworld and that the cave was the place where they could reach that underworld and appease the gods during times of strife.

7) There is clear evidence in the cave of bodies being bound and tortured. "The Stelae Chamber", one of the major sights in the ATM cave, contains two slate stelae in front of which individuals of high status performed rituals, where they would cut themselves with obsidian blades and offer their blood to the gods.

8) It is home of the famous "Crystal Maiden", a young woman around the age of 18. It is believed that she was brought into the cave as a sacrificing gift for the gods. She was clubbed and left for dead and with the passing of time she has been cemented to the floor, caused by the water running over the remains causing a crystalline coating of brown calcite to form over the bones.


9) In the ATM cave there has been found up to 14 skeleton remains in the "Main Chamber": 7 adults and 7 children, all under the age of 5. These are like not ceremonial burials but sacrificial victims The reason why the Mayas used young people, women in particular is because they were considered to be "Zuhui" meaning pure and uncontaminated and pleasing in the eyes of the gods.

10) Since an accident in 2003, where a tourist dropped a camera onto one of the skeletons, it is no longer allowed to bring cameras to the cave. And when entering the "Main Chambers", you have to wear socks and no shoes are allowed, in order to maintain and preserve the delicate environment in the cave.


Bonus information:

The Actun Tunichil Muknal is protected and there are only a few licensed guides that by the Belize Department of Ecology have been authorized to do tours in the cave. Luckily The Lodge at Chaa Creek has professional, licensed and experienced guides that can take you.

So do you want to join us and visit this exciting, intriguing and mysterious world?

Chaa Creek blog


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Marty Offline OP
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Belize: Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave

ATM cave is known world-wide as the cave of the Crystal Maiden. She was a sacrificial victim left deep in a cave by the Mayans near the village of Teakettle, Belize. The cave is a very popular attraction, and as such may be closed to the public in the next few years if damage to the artifacts continues.

You can visit it ONLY with a licensed guide and with a local tour company. We went with Destiny but PACZ is also highly recommended.


No photos allowed inside,
I took a pic of a tour poster

We also went to Tikal with Destiny. I loved Tikal, but didn’t care for the guide they gave us. He was smart, spoke English, and was well informed as to dates and the subject matter. The problem was that he had some kind of New Age Spirituality agenda that didn’t sit well with six scientific types. For instance Donelo said new studies show that all people in the world are descended from the Maya, that Mayan is the root of all languages in the world,  

the Mayans first invented the number zero, and they introduced ideas of heaven and hell to the Vatican. He also talked a lot about higher spiritual planes, energy vortexes, and other new age ideas that may or may not have resonated with the ancient Mayans.

So I asked a perfectly legitimate question: If the Mayans had achieved such a high level of consciousness, why did they engage in human sacrifice? He said it had to do with the blood of Christ (who died quite some time before the first Mayan ceremonial city was built) but got very defensive when I pointed that out.  

All that sounds like a digression, but it leads to the fact that our guide for ATM, Danny, was not only knowledgeable, he offered an excellent reason for the sacrifices, especially when it involved children. And there was no new-age agenda.

The walk in to the cave took about an hour, slogging through slimy mud and muck. We forded the same river three times. Once at the staging area we ate our lunch and then swam into the pool of water at the entrance. The water was “refreshing” as the Belizeans put it. Damned cool, a shock to enter, but we were able to get used to it.

Immediately our headlamps revealed beautiful formations; draperies, stalagmites, stalactites, and flowstone the likes of which I’d never seen. It was full of tiny crystals, and the water had formed little ridges making patterns of small triangular depressions that might fill with water during the rainy season. Danny asked us not to touch certain especially beautiful formations, but the rest of the cave we often needed to touch in order to steady ourselves.

Photos from PACZ tours, taken before the ban.

The river in the cave flowed by with a forceful current, though not strong enough to knock anyone off their feet. All day, until we were deep into the cave, we were at least knee-deep in water and often needed to swim for a few yards.

The rocks were not slippery. Algae doesn’t grow in the dark and that’s what usually makes rocks dangerous. Most of the time we walked on a sandy or pebbly bottom between largish rocks, easily seen with our headlamps. But sometimes the way was blocked by huge angular chunks of limestone that had fallen from the ceiling. Then we had to climb, or slip through very narrow passages that would have made a claustrophobic person scream and run back out the entrance.

One passage involved fitting your helmet through an opening between two giant rocks while turning the head so the neck slid between a flat surface and an angled one. There was plenty of room below for the body but anyone with an exceptionally thick neck might have had a difficult time. The only alternative would have been to climb up and over the boulders, a far scarier option I thought.


The slim passage where you
had to turn your head just so to get through.

The cave is very popular and some groups of people race through it. 

A few guides 

sign up for two groups a day, one starting at 8am, the other at 2pm. We started into the cave around 10:30 and finally emerged around 5:00. Our guide clearly planned for us to be the last people with the Crystal Maiden. We helped him by being really slow, most of us were over 60.

So while we slogged along walking upstream, we would sometimes step to the side while a group of 20-somethings raced past, laughing and chatting, and then much later, still slogging along, that same group would race by on their way out.

Danny was so meticulous, helpful, and caring. He lent a hand to anyone who needed support, allowed others to hang onto his shoulder while he swam, and practically supported my whole body in one scary drop down the side of a cliff. (It wasn’t scary to anyone else, but I’m petrified of heights.)

He used our waiting times to tell us about the geology of the cave, the ancient people who used it, and to show us obscure places where they’d left things. I doubt any of the racers got such a thorough and deep understanding of the cave. In fact, I’m sure most didn’t as we saw them passing back out with red paint on their faces. They’d been through some whooping and hollering ceremony that may have been their guide’s idea of a human sacrifice re-enactment. 

Danny had too much sensitivity and reverence for such nonsense.

About 500 yards into the cave, we stopped and climbed up a cliff onto a platform that was the floor of a cave so large the guides call it the Cathedral. It was dry. The floor was made of flowstone so smooth and fragile that shoes are not allowed inside. We had to wear socks to prevent any human oils from damaging the rock.

Danny described food offerings, and showed us where the Mayans had made fires between three stones, a sacred number representing the first three mountains made by the gods. Some of the pots showed blackened sides and had been used to cook food indicating people probably stayed inside the cave for days at a time. In places the ceiling was blackened from the smoke


All of the pots were broken as the Mayans believed everything and everyone has a spirit that must be released upon its death. The pots were, in essence, sacrificed. One pot in particular had a strange perfectly round hole with no ragged edge, and a tiny slot emerging from one side like a keyhole. Danny told us that some skulls also showed that same kind of hole, but healed up, indicating the Mayans performed brain surgery. Since they also wrapped the heads of royal infants to slope them, the adults may have had headaches and opening up a hole could relieve the pain.

Immediately upon entering the Cathedral there was evidence of human sacrifice. In a hollow on the floor were bones encased in rock. The dry cave isn’t always dry. During the rainy season, water flows over the rocks adding calcium to the bones and pots left behind. 

A bit of orange tape surrounded a small u-shaped ridge, all that was left of an infant’s skull. In another place the vague shape of a skull  encased in a thick coat of calcium could be seen. Other places the bones or skulls were merely cemented in place.

Many of these artifacts have been damaged. One skull is missing part of the face because some idiot dropped his camera onto it. Another lost two front teeth when a lens cap fell off, and another skull has a big hole where a tourist was leaning against the wall above it and dislodged a rock. It is up to the guides to keep people inside the boundaries marked with orange tape, but that’s got to be a challenge if the people are young and energetic, and there are eight of them to one guide. The job is doubly difficult when there are dozens of groups going through the cave every single day.

Hence the rules: No cameras allowed inside, no cell phones or electronics, no packs or bags, no food or drink, socks only in the upper chambers, etc. Guides carry a pack, but it has emergency supplies and is water proof. No one else is allowed to carry in anything. In addition, all people going into the cave must be respectfully dressed, in shorts and shirts, no swimming suits or bikinis.

Eventually the total number of visitors may have to be curbed, or the cave closed altogether.

At the very back of the Cathedral cave is a little alcove with the Crystal Maiden. Our guide said the latest archeological measurements have discovered that she is a he. 

From the position of the body, it looks like he was struck with a severe blow to the middle of the back and left to die. The middle two vertebrae are clearly smashed. The position he is in is how he must have died, struggling to move, pushing with feet and pulling with his right arm. For years people thought it was a female in a sexual pose. 

Another boy, about 14, whose skull had been reshaped as a baby, was left to die, arms tied behind his back and bound to his feet. The bones piled up in a way that suggests that position. 

Other sacrifices in the cave were less intact. Danny pointed out a scattering of bones that indicated the victims had been killed higher up in the cave. The bones washed down before becoming glued to the floor with calcite. All in all there were 16 known sacrifices, and many of them were children.

Apparently as the ecological disaster that ultimately took down the Mayan civilization was worsening (drought, deforestation, soil erosion, climate change) the people began to think the gods had abandoned them and they performed human sacrifices. Finally they resorted to sacrificing the most precious of all, the children. At the bitter end, they lost faith in their god-kings and political upheaval finished off the upper classes. Because they were the only educated people, most knowledge of the Mayan rituals, astronomy, math, and poetry was lost.

We were the last people in the silent cave. When traveling in, the light reflections of other groups illuminated the walls and ceiling. But traveling back through the empty cave, that inky blackness was punctuated only with our small lights.

It was a sad and lonely feeling to have witnessed evidence of the last desperate hopes of people who thought the only solution was to sacrifice children and leave them to die in that deep darkness. They believed all caves to be entrances to Xibalba, home to the gods of the underworld. It truly was the gateway for those young people tortured and left behind.

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Belize Baby!

Warning: this is not your average blog post.

Well today I wore socks with sandals you guys…however there is no evidence that this crime occurred because cameras were forbidden on this excursion. I should probably just stop blogging and giving fashion advice but instead I am going to share with you an experience of a lifetime and get real deep because it’s my blog and I will get intellectual if I want to�Oh and happy Thanksgiving.

As I am here in Belize with my family I am being MIND BLOWN and it is only the second day. Read on to learn about the amazing ATM Caves (Actun Tunichil Muknal which means Cave�of the Crystal Sepulchre) and our experiences�

It was basically Narnia. That is not even an exaggeration. We started out by hiking through three rivers with our tour guide, Carlos the Caveman, who is awesome, knowledgeable and I will always remember. If you are traveling to Belize any time soon, Carlos is the man and you need to see the caves with him. He can teach you how to live off of the land and respect everything Mother Earth has to offer.

On our hike to the cave he would stop at all these various trees and have us try different plants and other things. There was one root that made your mouth numb if you chewed on it. So naturally I said I wanted to try it because I thought hey that's awesome let's do this� Wouldn't try it again.And then we all actually ate termites. I almost didn't try them because I hate termites but he said they tasted like carrots so�..I ate it and yes they legit taste like carrots.

Then we saw those little leaf ants that carry pieces of leaves in a perfect line. Quite amazing actually. One of the smallest things to notice but seriously, so organized. As we continued to hike, on Carlos gave me his machete to hold. And yes I know what you are thinking, she probably felt like �such a boss-and yes you are correct. Well actually I felt more like Jane from Tarzan minus the sexy Tarzan but you get the idea. Adventure woman ready to slice some trees..

So we finally show up to the cave entrance after about 45 minutes. Which by the way Belizean minutes are much longer than actual minutes. Example-he said it was going to be a 2 and a half hour tour�it was four and a half. But no one is complaining.

So Carlos tells us to jump in the water and swim into the cave and I, being a priss for a second, tried to climb the wall to avoid the water� I got over being a priss in 30 seconds and went into adventure/survival mode. The water was "refreshing" as Carlos reminded us 1oo plus times. "Refreshing!" meant that we were about to fully submerge into water from the rocks to get further into the cave. Which by the way is 3 miles long. But the tour only goes half a mile, which trust me is plenty. We were also told to "sit and slide" which basically meant try not to fall on your face or fall to your death because we easily could have. But there was no way I was going out in sandals with socks, not in this lifetime. No way.

So to give you some visuals just imagine those fake rock climbing walls where you are harnessed in. Now minus the harness and add sharp rocks and flowing water�Yeah. Literally the most insane experience ever. This adventure taught me to fear nothing and just go for it. Carlos kept reminding us to not look back or down and this was one time in my life I actually listened and respected everything someone said. I'll admit I am one to appreciate a lot of the little things in life, everything amuses me, but the experience today was honestly one I will have in my mind forever and I am so happy to have shared that experience with my family.
 Oh and if you are not somewhat athletically fit and coordinated, this isn't for you. There are passage ways where you literally squeeze through two rocks and one is called the execution rock because the sharp edge almost cuts your throat. Hashtag adrenaline rush.

Okay so we finally show up to the mystical cave rooms where the Mayans used to hallucinate, hold ceremonies and make sacrifices for their 9 gods they worshipped. Limestone, granite and marble formations everywhere. Some rock formations looked like faces of emperors. It was exactly like "The Emperor's New Groove" but jaw dropping. It all sparkled. Except the skulls on the ground that had extra big foreheads because they used to flatten the heads of all the children. It honestly made them look alien like but it was rather cool.

At one point Carlos had us all turn off the lights on our helmets and we had to go around saying what we experienced and what it was like. I naturally said mystical and reminded me of Disneyland. Yes, I just made that comparison. Disney honestly replicated some of the cave pretty well for an amusement park and they definitely explored these caves because there is no other way they would have known how beautiful it was. Photos do not do the caves justice. And it sounds really weird but I felt so safe in this cave. It felt like a safe haven. Not your typical feeling you have when you could easily die and everything is dark with just your small headlight leading the way for you.

The Mayans were seriously incredible.
 Climbing these rocks where we could have easily slipped and fell to our death was thrilling. It was adventurous, spontaneous and made us all work together to get through the trail quickly and safely. It was like self survival mode except in a beautiful place.
I can’t get over how fearless we all were.

I feel that artists should really travel as much a possible. The inspiration it is able to feed is beyond. Experiencing new cultures, going with the flow and trying new things. It is in our blood.�We can keep these shared moments with us forever. It helps us grow as humans.
The visuals I experienced blew my mind. Something that beautiful should be seen by and shared with the world.
It looked like a palace. A place of healing. A place of adventure.

 One of the many wonders of the world.

So we were not allowed to take cameras into the cave…this was good and bad and made me think about a lot of things. Clearing my mind out here is nourishing. Cleansing. I feel more in the moment.
It’s nice being able to just stare at something without trying to get the perfect photo for Instagram. But it also made me appreciate cameras because photos do last longer you know? Made me really appreciate photographers and their skill as well. Without you guys, no one would be able to see other parts of the world. (And let's be real I would not have a job.) People would have no idea what is out there.
 However, photos of these caves would not do it justice, you must experience something like this.

You guys, last thing�he showed me the reefa. He first said it was like tobacco and got you a little buzzed but then when I was about to smoke it his friends and him said it was the equivalent to weed. I asked how to smoke it and the other couple who went with us told me to light it and smoke it out of my hands. When I lit it up it definitely had that ganja smell. Dad didn’t find this that hilarious but when in Belize, do as the Belizians do.

Lesson of the day: Sometimes things are just beautiful and you take them as they are. They don't always have to make perfect sense or have some deep meaning, they are just a work of art.

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The Crystal Maiden of Belize


A calcified Mayan skull on a cave floor in Belize

The skeleton glistens in the torchlight, years of calcite deposits decorating the skull and cementing the bones to the cave floor. This young man once made the same underground journey we have just completed. But when he got here, he was sacrificed to Chaak and his body left where it still lies.

The river that formed Belize's Actun Tunichil Muknal cave still flows, pooling as it emerges into the dawn sunlight and necessitating a swim to start our journey into the Mayan underworld. Our guide has insisted on an early start and no one else is around as we take the plunge. The view back from inside is amazing, the rock arch framing a view of water, jungle and sky; the view the other way is black.

That river is always with us. The water is strangely warm, sometimes around our ankles, then about our necks, but always pushing against us. Above, bats hang in their holes and tiny seedlings grow from their droppings, atrophying in the dark.

Huge crystal formations slide down the walls, running over boulders, swallowing stalagmites and damming the river. The surfaces shimmer in the torches and are reflected in the water, but it's the stillness enveloping everything that mesmerises.

Standing stones mark where the Maya would thrust stingrays' spines through their own tongues in bloodletting ceremonies. Hearing this, we shiver for the first time, the ghost stories all the more powerful for the darkness, the whispers we naturally fall to, the fact they are true.

An hour in and we leave the river and climb up into side chambers. These were used for sacrifices, the remnants left where they were placed or where flooding has subsequently dumped them. Ceramic pots litter the floor, many whole save for a holed base, deliberately damaged to release the victim's soul. A carved stalagmite throws the shadow of a caricatured face against the wall, its sneer looming over us as we pick our way through the debris.

Basins worn smooth by water cradle the remains of 17 human sacrifices, children and babies among them. Their skulls have exaggerated foreheads, a sign of beauty achieved through skull binding. How they died is unknown - the skeletons are too calcified to know without disturbing them - but the few Maya documents that survived Spanish occupation tell of drowning and decapitation as favourite methods.

In a small chamber lies the Crystal Maiden skeleton, the name conjured up to entice tourists into a setting that really needs no hype. Were it not enough to have been murdered, the Maiden's lasting dignity has also been shattered; she is actually a he. But virgin bride sacrifices have all the appeal and the myth is perpetuated by tour operators across Belize.

Lost in our own thoughts, we retrace our steps, picking our way back along the river. By now, larger groups are making their way in, rushing to see the infamous bones, and spoiling the stillness with their voices and lights.

Source


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The Cave Where Mayans Sacrificed Humans Is Open for Visitors

The Mayans are lauded for their achievements-their art & architecture, intricate calendar, and developed culture. But there was a grimmer side to the civilization: human sacrifice.

It's a journey even Indiana Jones would have to brace himself for: an hour-long rainforest hike, a swim across an ice-cold stream into the narrow mouth of a cave, and then a slippery descent into the dark, cavernous depths where bats, spiders, and ancient scorpion-like amblypygi lurk in the nooks. But, more than a thousand years ago, these creepy crawlies were practically friendly company compared to the cave's human occupants, who used the remote location to carry out grisly, murderous rituals.

Today, brave adventurers willing to travel more than a mile underground in less than ideal conditions to reach Brazil's Actun Tunichil Muknal cave (ATM) will find many ancient treasures at the end of their journey.

In the past two decades, archaeologists have unearthed more than 1,400 fragments dating from between 250 and 909 A.D.-the period when the "Classic Maya" kingdoms ruled a swath of Mesoamerica. The Maya ventured deeper into the three-mile-long cave as generations progressed, a path that can be tracked by the remnants they left behind.

Found in the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve, the cave's remote location meant that these remains of ancient Mayan culture survived undetected for many years, preserved just as they were when they were deposited in the caverns more than 1,000 years ago. Its name translates to "Cave of the Stone Sepulcher," but locally it is called by a nickname that means "a place of fear."

It's a fitting moniker as the cave serves as the final resting place of at least 14 people who are believed to have been killed in ritual sacrifices. These seven adults and seven children of both sexes range from one year old to middle-aged, and were found in what archaeologists believe was a sacrificial site called "The Cathedral" on an upper level. The age of the bones has made it difficult for scientists to determine the cause of death, but they know all of the children sustained blunt head trauma. Their bodies were left out in the open, allowing the bones to seal into the cave's ground over time. Some are now almost entirely concealed, with only a skull visible.

The ancient Maya believed that the underworld of caves was home to gods that controlled rainfall and harvest bounties. Young children and women were considered to be pure and most desirable to the gods. They were presumably brought down and sacrificed in ATM to help garner favor for a possibly ailing community. Interestingly, at least five of the victims are thought to have been from the noble class due evidenced by their skulls that had been bound and flattened, a popular practice among the civilization's elite.

One skeleton in particular has become famous for the brutal way she died and the ethereal way her body was preserved. In a room separate from the other bodies, on a high corner where the floor and walls of the cave meet, the "Crystal Maiden" has lain sprawled in the position she died in for some 1,200 years. She was thought to be between 18 to 20 years old, and killed by a club. Her bones stick up from the ground, and water has sealed them with a sparkling calcite coating.

A theory floated by authors of New Perspectives on Human Sacrifice and Ritual Body Treatments in Ancient Maya Society in 2007 suggests those killed in ATM may have been victims of a witch hunt. They "could have been selected because of a community-wide consensus that a particular person's death would restore order," the book posits, "perhaps they represent not just offerings, but punishment for the perceived threat they presented in life."

Human remains have also been unearthed in surrounding caves, but they seem to have been given proper burials. The haphazard bones discovered in ATM give scientists reason to believe that their deaths were unnatural and the cave was used specifically for sacrificial purposes.

Pottery and sacrificial tools naturally cemented to the ground or hidden around the cave's stalagmites and layers also offer evidence. The "Stelae Chamber" boasts two stone markers, thought to be where high-level community leaders performed rituals to the gods. Sharp rock blades found nearby indicate they cut themselves to offer their own blood. Ancient bowls feature so-called "kill holes," possibly to drain blood or allow a spirit to escape. One less sinister piece of pottery, known as the "Monkey Pot" for a primate decoration near the rim, drew attention as one among only four ever discovered in Central America.

The culturally rich cave sat undiscovered by the world until 1989. Ironically, the first archaeologist to explore the cave had a connection to the most legendary fictional explorer. Dr. Jaime Awe, who recently resigned as director of the Institute of Archeology of Belize, has been called a "real-life Indiana Jones," which made it even more amazing when he filed suit in 2012 on behalf of Belize against Lucasfilm, Disney, and Paramount for its depiction of an ancient treasure in Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull four years prior. Awe claimed that the crystal skull was based on a relic stolen from Belize by treasure hunters in the '20s, and he sought reparations from the descendants, who never returned the skull, and the production companies who used its likeness. (The suit eventually was quietly dropped.)

Crystal skulls may be precious, but the crystalline remains of victims of human sacrifice add another layer to the story of an ancient civilization that continues to fascinate us long after its reign fell. In 2004, the entire area around Actun Tunichil Muknal was designated a natural monument and visitors are now allowed in through official tours. Those wary of dark spaces, afraid of tight squeezes, or haunted by thoughts of the skeletal victims of human sacrifice, should beware.

Source


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Actun Tunichil Muknal: the Belize cave of ancient human sacrifices

Even children were sacrificed in Mayan times. Picture: V31S70.

Even children were sacrificed in Mayan times. Picture: V31S70. Source: Flickr

DEEP in the Belize jungle of Central America lies a cave with creepy human remains more than 1000 years old thought to be victims of ritual sacrifices.

Discovered in 1989, Actun Tunichil Muknal, or ATM as it’s locally known, is not easy to reach. Brave travellers must take an hour’s ride from San Ignacio in Belize, then walk another hour through shallow rivers and jungle to reach the mouth of the cave.

From here visitors have to swim into the cave and wade up the river for another kilometre past huge boulders and cavernous rooms.

Entrance to the cave of human sacrifices. Picture: V31S70.

Entrance to the cave of human sacrifices. Picture: V31S70. Source: Flickr

At the very end of the cave system are the skeletons of at least 14 humans, victims of ritual sacrifices made by the Mayan people to their gods, lying on a sacrificial site called “The Cathedral”.

The most famous of these skeletons is that of an 18-year-old girl known as “The Crystal Maiden.” Lying in a room separate to the other bodies, it is believed she was killed in a violent manner, possibly with a club, with two of her vertebrae crushed. Her bones stick up from the ground in a unique position and have been completely calcified giving them a sparkling calcite coating, inspiring the crystal maiden name.

The creepy ancient cave with a sinister past

The skeletons have been preserved through calcification. Picture: V31S70. Source: Flickr

The other skeletons range in age from a one-year-old to an approximately 45-year-old, almost all were killed by blunt trauma to the head, some had their entire skulls crushed.

Four of those sacrificed were infants between the ages of one and three whose remains were stuffed into crevices and adjoining caves.

Pottery and sacrificial tools found in the caves have made it easier for archaeologist to place a date on the scarifications. In the past two decades they have found more than 1400 fragments dating back to 250 and 909 A.D. — the period when the “Classic Mayan” kingdoms ruled a swath of Mesoamerica.

Ancient Mayans sacrificed life for bountiful harvests. Picture: Beth and Anth.

Ancient Mayans sacrificed life for bountiful harvests. Picture: Beth and Anth. Source: Flickr

The items have been cemented to the cave floor by calcite and have been preserved as they were left. Ancient bowls feature “kill holes”, possibly to drain the blood or allow a spirit to escape and the “Stelae Chamber” has two stone markers thought to be where the leaders performed rituals to the gods. Sharp rock blades found nearby indicate they cut themselves to offer their own blood and a “Monkey Pot”, named for its primate decoration near the rim, is one of only four ever discovered in Central America

Pottery left for thousands of years. Picture: Beth and Anth.

Pottery left for thousands of years. Picture: Beth and Anth. Source: Flickr

The ancient Maya are one of the world’s most mysterious civilisations and believed that the underworld of caves was home to gods that controlled rainfall and harvest bounties. Young children and women were considered to be pure and most desirable to the gods and are thought to have been brought down and sacrificed for luck. At least five of the victims are thought to have been from the noble class — their skulls that had been bound and flattened, a popular practice among the civilisation’s elite.

The cave was traditionally believed to be the entrance to hell filled with rivers of blood and scorpions, today visitors can access the cave with authorised tour guides to explore its creepy past.

Visitors must trek through kilometres of rivers and jungle. Picture: V31S70.

Visitors must trek through kilometres of rivers and jungle. Picture: V31S70. Source: Flickr

The bones sparkle from calcification. Picture: Beth and Anth.

The bones sparkle from calcification. Picture: Beth and Anth. Source: Flickr

Ancient pottery lies among the bones. Picture: V31S70.

Ancient pottery lies among the bones. Picture: V31S70. Source: Flickr

The only way in is to swim. Picture: V31S70.

The only way in is to swim. Picture: V31S70. Source: Flickr

Inside the cave of death. Picture: V31S70.

Inside the cave of death. Picture: V31S70. Source: Flickr

One of four in Central America, the

One of four in Central America, the "Monkey Pot." Picture: V31S70. Source: Flickr

Hidden in the crevices lies potter and ancient sacrification tools. Picture: Beth and Ant

Hidden in the crevices lies potter and ancient sacrification tools. Picture: Beth and Anth. Source: Flickr

Source

Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 84,397
Marty Offline OP
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Actun Tunichil Muknal continues to be all over the world news. The Telegraph and the Daily Beast have some interesting articles about it.

"The river that formed Belize's Actun Tunichil Muknal cave still flows, pooling as it emerges into the dawn sunlight and necessitating a swim to start our journey into the Mayan underworld. Our guide has insisted on an early start and no one else is around as we take the plunge. The view back from inside is amazing, the rock arch framing a view of water, jungle and sky; the view the other way is black. That river is always with us. The water is strangely warm, sometimes around our ankles, then about our necks, but always pushing against us. Above, bats hang in their holes and tiny seedlings grow from their droppings, atrophying in the dark."


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Marty Offline OP
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National Geographic Top 'Sacred Places' List: Belize Ancient Mayan Cave Ranks First


National Geographic ranks Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre), or ATM as the No.1 "Sacred Places of a Lifetime" in the beautiful Central American country of Belize. (Photo : Flickr/Michael Daines/Antti T. Nissinen)

Imagine yourself deep inside the depths of the earth, waste-deep in chilly water surrounded by mountainous, mystical towers of stalagmites and stalactites, hundreds of bats hanging from above, large freshwater crabs, crayfish, catfish and tropical fish swimming beside you.

A huge black spider lingers nearby in a crevasse revealing itself from the darkness as light from your helmet shines upon an ancient Mayan sacrificial site with a sparkling calcified skeleton.

In the eerie silence and darkness, you find yourself further in the cave-like altar that's strewn about with more skulls, bones and pottery showing "kill holes" intended to allow spirits to escape. This brings your mind to strange places, making you wonder if you will be the next offering to the Gods of the Underworld.

Welcome to "Xibalba," otherwise known as a "place of fear," and "the name of the underworld in K'iche' Maya mythology, ruled by the Maya death gods and their helpers." A place where ancient rituals and sacrifices were made and where Mayans believed the gods who provided rain harvests resided -- or just a place where I vacation.

Sound wild? Well, it is and well-worth a trip to Belize to experience Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre), or ATM, a true gem and archeologist's dream.

Named the No. 1 on its list of "Sacred Places of a Lifetime" by National Geographic, ATM is located in the Cayo District, not far from the charming little town of San Ignacio. It involves a 45-minute hike, crossing streams and river banks of the Tapir Mountain Reserve to get to the cave's entrance. Once there, you swim, twist and turn and climb to the depths of ATM where there is no natural light.

Now I understand why "Ghost Hunters International" Season 3 dedicated its ninth episode to feature ATM in "The Crystal Maiden: Belize and France," which evaluated the ghost stories behind the "Mysterious Maiden."

While there are several skeletal remains (reportedly from 14 individuals -- seven adults and seven children under the age of five) within the main chamber, the best-known is the aforementioned "'Crystal Maiden,' the skeleton of a teenage girl, possibly a sacrifice victim, whose bones have been calcified to a sparkling, crystallized appearance."

My guide Elias, who has been giving tours of ATM for over a decade, won me over with his captivating storytelling and depiction of these ancient Mayan times. He pointed out that with more research, "The Crystal Maiden" may not be a maiden after all, but a male -- but I guess I'll leave it up to the experts to decide.

Nevertheless, I was entranced by my journey and realized that ATM was a nice tie-in to my recent reporting on Jorge Guitierrez and Guillermo del Toro's "The Book of Life," an animated Day of the Dead-inspired visual masterpiece from 20th Century Fox and Reel FX Animation Studios.

"The Book of Life" ventures off to three fantastical worlds: The Land of the Living, the Remembered and the Forgotten -- little did I know that I, too, would find myself taking my own journey to the Mayan Underworld in Belize (and later to Tikal in Guatemala).

In "The Book of Life," which hits theaters Oct. 17, "Xibalba" plays a big part in the Mexican, Day of the Dead-folk art-enriched film. Manolo (voiced by Diego Luna) and Joaquin (voiced by Channing Tatum) both vie for the attention of Maria (voiced by Zoe Saldana). The leaders of the Underworlds, the Land of the Remembered and the Land of the Forgotten, Xibalba (voiced by Ron Perlman) and La Muerte (voiced Kate del Castillo) place a wager on who will win Maria's heart.

From the big screen to the depths of the ancient Mayan Underworld, I was among many Americans who are drawn to this Belizean gem -- there are reportedly close to one million tourists who visit Belize annually, 70 percent of whom are North Americans.

With an influx of tourists and a country that's home to 1,000 Mayan ruins that are scattered throughout the country, some artifacts have been compromised, however. In late May 2012, a tourist accidentally dropped a camera and fractured a human skull estimated at over 1,000 years old -- I learned of this quickly as my tour guide shared the news and his disdain.

As a result, no cameras are allowed in ATM. In order to protect the sacred grounds as you venure further into the caves, you have to remove your shoes and wear socks when reaching the upper dry chamber. In an effort to further protect ATM, the Belize Tourism Board, in coordination with the Belize National Institute of Culture and History, Institute of Archaeology, only granted licenses to a small group of agents to conduct tours in the cave.

What I loved about ATM was that the fact that they don't want to exploit the sacred Mayan grounds by allowing too many vistors in at once; they don't add lighting and walkways; and they don't have a gift shop or any intentions to have one. Thank the Mayan Gods!

ATM is an authentic experience and an incredible journey to the Mayan Underworld that I will never forget. I'm sure the Mayan Gods appreciate that the Belizians are trying to respect their stomping grounds, and if they don't... Well, who knows what could happen!

Check out a video on the Actun Tunichil Muknal (Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre), or ATM in the beautiful Central American country of Belize.

SOURCE


Great blog post on ATM....

Backpacking in Belize: Cave Tour of Actun Tunichil Muknal

When you hear about backpackers heading to Belize you think about beaches, sun and snorkelling. And yes all that stuff is cool and it really happens. I did it all too! But it was my plan in Belize to witness a load of other impressive things in the country not just for myself but also to show other travellers to Belize how diverse a country this is. For me, this included a few days in Belmopan, the capital, as well as Xunantunich, Placencia and a trip to Actun Tunichil Muknal. Thanks to my friend and DSL follower Ray for some extra cool tip offs for Belize (and a few photos which I'll explain later), not all of which I found time for, but Actun Tunichil Muknal I did.

What is Actun Tunichil Muknal?

It's an archaelogical reserve in deep Belizean countryside. As well as a nature trail, forests and rivers ATM (not a cash point) is most famous for its incredible caves, which was the pull for me. I had been to a fair few caves before (like Jenolan Caves in Australia , the Tiger Caves in Israel and Batu Caves in Malaysia) but this was a full on swimming experience in the caves!

We were going to be swimming in the caves!

Click here for the story!



San Ignacio & ATM Caves, Belize

Having spent the complete day at the Copan Maya Ruins in brutal sunshine and annoying mosquitos, I am now presenting the second and also last update from Belize :) I visited the Actun Tunichil Muknal Caves (or just known as ATM Caves) and enjoyed the laid back town of San Ignacio, very close to the border of Guatemala. Check out this quick report to see why the ATM Caves have been my best Caving expierence as of now.

>> Full Picture Gallery <<

San Ignacio is a pleasant and quiet little town close to the border and the Bella's Hostal over there had a very nice and relaxing vibe to it. I met some people from Caye Caulker again and we arranged a trip to the ATM caves with Mayawalk tours. They gave us a good deal for $90 including breakfast. From town it is a two hour drive through the country side to reach the cave entrance. One of our two guides did a good job explaining all sorts of things along the way. Not really connected to the cave, but pretty interesting anyway. For instance, the Chinese own basically all big supermarkets in Belize and that is something I noticed on Caye Caulker already.


From the car park it was another hour of hiking through the jungle, including three river crossings. We used water shoes since we would get wet in the cave anyway, so crossing those rivers was not a big deal. The guides explained the different Flora and Fauna and even had some plant for me to help healing my leg, which was in a pretty bad shape from scratching all those mosquito bites in combination with a little swim through jelly fish!

To get into the cave, we had to swim through a little pool and from were constantly walking through waste deep water. The pictures below were provided from Mayawalk as we were not allowed to take any cameras inside ourselves, thanks to a french tourist that dropped his camera on one of the Maya skulls inside! The tour progressed and besides the usual explanation of all the Stalagmites and Stalactites stuff inside, our guides had one really special play: We had to turn off our head torches and walked in the complete pitch black darkness for about ten minutes, holding the shoulder of the person in front, while the guide explained how the Maya treated the Caves as a Gateway to the underworld. My favorite part of the tour and really incredible! The guide repeated this procedure once more until we reached some Stalagmites that he used to produce music, also pretty cool.


After a few hours of wading through cold water and squeezing through tiny holes, we reached a higher plateau and started to see all the Maya pottery, which was never moved by any Archaeologist before and provided a pretty cool in-cave museum! After spotting the first out of 13 Maya skeleton remains, we eventually reached the highlight at the end of the tour: The crystal maiden, a skeleton of a young Mayan girl. Her bones have been calcified over time and now she has a crystallized appearance.

Chris On Tour


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