Chills follow excursion into ancient cave
Skeletons and artifacts lie as testament to human sacrifice to gods in former sacred spot
NEAR SAN IGNACIO, BELIZE—“Our Maya ancestors saw caves as a portal to the underworld, often referred to as ‘Xibalba,’ which translates to ‘the place of fear or fright.’ They believed evil spirits, demons and monsters were guarding caves and only elites, priests and their entourage were permitted to access them; commoners were not allowed to go in,” caving tour guide Gliss Penados says.
Yet here I am, a mere commoner, about to descend into the underworld of Actun Tunichil Muknal, also known as the ATM cave, in western Belize.
Under a blazing sun, our group treks through a tropical jungle, punctuated by a few river crossings before we arrive at the entrance of this massive limestone Mayan archeological site.
It feels both foreboding and magical. A portal back to between AD 300 to 600.
Ancient Maya believed the rain god Chaac resided in the underworld and that gods could be benevolent and malevolent. Offerings were made to keep them happy, especially Chaac, to ensure healthy maize crops.
Penados says that when rain was abundant, rituals were performed outside the cave, but when the Maya went through a period of drought, they headed deeper into the cave.
And so we delve deeper into the cave and follow what may have been the path ancient Maya took to perform sacrificial rituals.
We take the plunge into the river that formed this cave, also known as Cave of the Stone Sepulchre. The warm, crystal-clear water initially pools around our ankles, but as we move further in, the water rises to our necks.
We carefully step from rock to rock and boulder to boulder, our way illuminated only by a headlamp fastened to our helmets. Penados tells us ancient Maya used torches made out of pine wood to guide their way.
While we manoeuvre our bodies over and around rock formations, at times swimming through the river, I am boggled at the thought of trying to forge through the slippery terrain while carrying torches, food offerings and utensils.
“The flame from torches created shadows and the flickering would have made it appear like the shadows were moving, giving the experience a whole different feeling,” Penados says.
“Don’t forget Maya used hallucinogens, which alone will give you a whole different perspective of the cave; a whole different trip than we’re having.”
Minus hallucinogens, it’s still a trippy experience. Huge crystal formations slide down the cave walls, melding into boulders, swallowing stalactites that drip from the ceilings. The surfaces shimmer when illuminated. At times it feels almost like a prehistoric cathedral.
In just moments in the brooding stillness, you’re enveloped in the allencompassing, mesmerizing beauty of this underworld.
Standing stones mark bloodletting ceremonies performed by the elite and their wives.
Female Maya would thrust stingrays’ spines through their own tongues or slit their finger or wrist. Males would pierce the foreskin of the penis. Both genders would drip this blood onto strips of paper, adding incense to burn it. The smoke rising from this would sometimes be depicted as the body of a serpent, referred to as the Vision serpent, Penados says.
These acts were performed as a self-sacrifice on special occasions to nourish gods and ancestors.
These tales send shivers down my spine as we wade through the now chilly, shadow-cast river.
We scramble over boulders, climbing onto chambers, where we find remnants of ceramic pots scattered throughout, including one nearly intact. Penados says there are up to 1,400 artifacts scattered in the cave.
“The pots were used for food offerings. The idea is that the aroma, vapour and steam that rises from the food is what nourishes the souls of our relatives that have passed away. It’s also believed that when the rituals for the rain god ceased to work, they started conducting human sacrifice as food for the gods.”
Goosebumps spread over my body as Penados leads us through a maze of chambers, revealing the various ways people were sacrificed, sometimes through a blow to the head, decapitation or disembowelment.
The hairs on my arms rise as we come upon water-worn basins that cradle the remains of14 human sacrifices, children and babies among them.
Their skulls have exaggerated foreheads, a sign of beauty achieved through skull binding.
“It was an honour to volunteer to be sacrificed because your soul would go straight to heaven and avoid the nine levels of the underworld. Fami- lies would offer their child to be sacrificed,” Penados says while leading us through narrow crevices.
We climb a ladder and snake our way into a small upper chamber where the “main attraction” lies. We’re collectively wowed as we stand before the “Crystal Maiden” — a complete female skeleton that sparkles from eons of crystal calcification.
Archeologists believe a priest sacrificed her, age 20, as part of a religious ritual. Her skeleton has been here for more than 1,000 years.
Penados relays the story behind the Crystal Maiden and chills run through me, not so much from the cavernous climate but in reflection of a civilization so rooted in spirituality, tradition and devotion, and in gratitude for the opportunity to explore this magical, mystical underworld. Charmaine Noronha was hosted by National Geographic Journeys with G Adventures, which did not review or approve this story.