It’s a breezy Sunday morning in Belize- it happens to be
unusually cool, perhaps an ominous foreshadowing of the day’s activities. I’m
in the front seat of a large passenger van, head resting against the window,
simultaneously trying to ignore the bumping and lilting of the van on the dirt
road and trying not to fall asleep after our early-morning start.
We’re headed towards Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM), the cave
where the ancient Maya believed they could access the underworld. As if that
weren’t spooky enough, the Maya also performed human sacrifices here. Just the
idea of entering the cave has me nervously tapping my foot in the van.
After the journey from San Ignacio, which included an
ever-so-important stop for snacks, the MayaWalk Tours van arrives in the ATM
park and we meet our guide. Hector, who promises to give us “One Heck-of-a-tour”
(ha!), helps each of us get outfitted with a helmet while explaining the
itinerary for the day. We leave most of our belongings in the van, except for
water bottles and socks. No cameras are allowed in or around ATM because of
previous accidents that did devastating damage to some of the artifacts. Ahead
of us we have approximately 45 minutes of mild hiking to the cave. I figure
this leaves me 45 minutes to mentally prepare to enter the #1 most sacred cave
in the world, according to National Geographic. I hope it’s enough time.
In no time at all, we’re faced with our first obstacle: a
river crossing. Clothes, water bottles, and all, we jump into the river and
swim across. The river is too deep to stand due to the erosion damage from last
year’s major hurricane, but it is relatively calm. Some of us pull ourselves
across using just the rope that has been strung between the two river-banks. We
continue onwards, our wet clothes dripping along the way. Hector points out
important plants as we wander down the trail- some with significant medicinal
uses. The air is thick with humidity and the calls of tropical birds that must
be watching us from the trees. We cross two more rivers, this time only
knee-deep. A large iguana scampers across the river rocks in front of us.
Sure enough, after 45 minutes, we arrive at a small rest
area. Here we must leave everything except our courage & a pair of socks.
The anticipation is suffocating as Hector hands out headlamps. We all take
turns blinding each other with the headlamps before figuring out how to angle
them correctly. I inhale the miniature pack of chocolate-chip cookies I brought
along.
And we’re off again.
Within minutes the mouth of the cave is in view. Wide open,
ready to swallow us whole, the cave beckons us in. Hector helps us down the
embankment and into the river that is flowing out of the cave. “Just swim” is
his advice. I’m nervous and I feel like humming Dory’s “just keep swimming”
song as I paddle into the darkness.
The next hour is a whirlwind of adrenaline. Hector directs
us where to put our feet, when to swim, and how to avoid damaging delicate cave
structures. He points to a crayfish swimming in and out of a crevice in the
rocks. One of our group members spots an enormous cricket. It doesn’t avoid the
beams of our flashlight, because it is blind. Never having been exposed to
sunlight, the insects inside the cave rely on large antennas and their sense of
touch to navigate their surroundings.
We reach a shallow part of the river and the cave opens up
around us. The cave extends through the mountain for another few miles, but
we’re stopping here. Now, there is nowhere to go but up. Hector instructs us to
precisely position ourselves while scrambling up thick stalagmite to access the
next level of the cave. These upper layers of the caves are where the ancient
Maya made their sacrifices. This is the heart of the Maya underworld.
We pause to take off our water shoes and put on our socks.
The cave association mandates visitors to do this for preservation reasons. As
we move into the sacrificial areas, we realize that the only barrier separating
us from the hundreds of clay pots is a thin line of red tape placed around
groups of artifacts. Although the cave has been well researched and each piece has
been catalogued, the archaeologists decided to leave everything in the place
that it was found, in an effort to preserve the authenticity of the site.
Almost everything is exactly as it was thousands of years ago.
Soon we’re facing another climb. This time we quickly ascend
to the next level of the cave via a pre-installed metal ladder. The number of
artifacts in the next chamber is stunning. Clay pots litter the ground. We
encounter several piles of human bones. The skulls of the victims are strangely
shaped- almost alien like- because of the ancient traditions of
skull-flattening. I try to listen to Hector’s constant stream of historical
facts, but I’m finding myself absorbed in awe of the cave.
Of course, the best was saved for last. At the far end of
the upper level of the cave, lies a skeleton known as the Crystal Maiden. The
six of us crowded into the small chamber to see her. She is perfectly
preserved, sprawled out, and slowly being taken over by beautiful calcium
crystals. It turns out that “she” is actually a “he”. Previously believed to be
a female, the Crystal Maiden has now been confirmed to be a teenage male. One by
one, we take a final look at the “maiden”, pondering what led to his demise,
and leave the chamber. With the help of Hector, we retrace our steps, down the
ladder, down the stalagmite scramble, through the lower cave, and back into the
light.
The walk back to the park entrance is bittersweet. My legs
feel like jelly. I really need a bathroom. My stomach is telling me I should
have packed more snacks. But the “real world” seems to pale in comparison to
the mystery and adrenaline of the cave. There are no more sparkly cave
formations, and I no longer find myself wondering what ancient artifacts will
be hidden around the corner.
By the time we reach the picnic area for lunch I
know one thing for sure-
- fruit punch never
tasted so sweet.
