It was a rough start to our vacation with our trip to San Ignacio yesterday, we encountered a horrible wreck in which 11 people were injured and 1 killed. Our car sat perfectly still on the Western Highway for more than half an hour. It was a sobering start to our trip as we passed a scene from which no one should have walked away. We finally arrived at our hotel well past dark, and so our first real look at San Ignacio would have to wait. After a personal tour of the hotel, the concierge Rueben wanted to speak with us about tours. I had emailed them already saying we definitely wanted to visit Actun Tuntichil Muknal archeological site (or ATM cave for short). So they had gone ahead and booked our visit for the next day. Ok…. Hard to handle when we are tired and hungry from a long day of travel, but we agreed. We didn’t even realize that this would be the most challenging tourist destination we would have ever visited. So we got some dinner and went to bed.
It’s easy when I first get to a new place and I’m feeling exhausted and have no idea what to expect, that I begin to think “why am I here? I want to go home where everything is familiar and comfortable!” But all I have to do is get a good nights sleep and walk outside the next morning and see the beauty all around and meet friendly people who I want to know more about.
After breakfast we boarded a van for the hour ride to the Mountain Tapir Reserve, which is where the ATM cave is located with Lee and Linda from Michigan and of course our guide Orlando. Orlando told us all about every town and village we passed through and Lee and Linda told us horror stories of Michigan winters. We finally turned onto a rutted dirt road for the last 7 miles of the trip. Once at the Reserve we were briefed on the days trip since we obviously had no idea what we were in for. The ATM cave is a very important archeological find, discovered only in the 80’s. There are many Mayan artifacts in the cave and the government has decided not to remove these but to leave the cave intact as a sort of “natural museum”. Only 2 of the hundreds of articles found have been removed to national museums, because two included hieroglyphics to be studied, but the rest along with skeletons believed to have been human sacrifices of the Maya remain in the cave. 25 guides have been trained and licensed by the government and no one is allowed to enter the cave without one of these guides. There is nothing allowed in the cave. No hats, no cameras, no sunglasses, no water; only a helmet with a headlamp and the clothes you are wearing can be taken in. This is all to preserve the integrity of the artifacts and remains in the cave.
Our trip began with a 45 minute hike through the rain forest to reach the mouth of the cave. At the start of the trip Orlando mentioned that there were about 70 species of snakes in the rain forest and instructed us that if we saw a snake on the path we should jump over it. He even demonstrated this little hop for us. I was thinking that if I saw a snake on the path I probably would NOT jump over it and something involving a scream would likely happen instead.
About 5 minutes into the hike we came to the first river, lucky for us this is not rainy season and we would not actually have to swim across the swiftly flowing river about 200 feet to the other side. We did however, have to walk across in the extremely cold water of the mountain stream which was about 3 feet deep. No problem, except for the slippery moss covered stones lining the riverbed that threatened to steal your balance with every step. For the duration of the hike, about 40 more minutes, there were 2 more similar rivers. Orlando stopped often to point out different trees and explain their significance both to the ancient Mayans and to Belizians today. We were thrilled to catch glimpses of a Coatimundi and an Agouti (nicknamed the royal rat after it was served to Queen Elizabeth).
We finally reached the small rest area at the mouth of the cave where we left our water bottles, (the only thing we could carry into the rainforest). The entrance to the cave was breathtakingly beautiful, like a 50 foot high fissure in the side of the jungle covered rock which spread open at the bottom to a width of about 20 feet where the river flowed out of the mountain. Our first climb (and what turned out to be one of the easiest) was over boulders along the side of the river to get to the 50degree water below and swim about 75 feet across the deep pool into the cave.
Here is where I hesitate, fearing I can’t accurately describe the cave’s beauty or the treacherous half mile trek we took to the dry chambers of the Maya. And with no camera to document the trip, it may sound like a bit like an exaggeration, but honestly I don’t think I could exaggerate the beauty and difficulty of this trip if I tried. Of course there are pictures online taken before cameras were banned, but they don’t do it justice either. But I feel like if I don’t put it into words, I may start to believe this beautiful cave and this crazy adventure will begin to seem more like a figment of my imagination in years to come. So I guess I have to try.
When I reached the other side of the pool and struggled to pull myself up on the rocks avoiding the sharp edges that all promised a nice cut, I stopped to take a good look around. I have been in a few caves before, both in Belize and in Missouri, and I thought I knew what to expect. But those experiences did not prepare me for this one. A river they simply call “the roaring river” (not the official name) flows all the way through the cave. It is said to be about 3 1/2 miles through the cave, although we would only travel about a half mile to the dry chamber. The river was very deep at some places and no more than 2 feet deep at others, but it was the cave itself that held my attention. Even just inside the mouth the ceiling at its highest point seemed to be at least 200 feet tall. And there were boulders the size of cars wedged against each other as if some ancient rock slide had created this cave. We continued hiking up the middle of the river, as in most places there was only a sheer rock wall alongside the river, we squeezed through boulders leaning on each other in which only your head could squeeze through the visible opening and the rest of your body had to be under water. We climbed collections of boulders at places where the river ran completely under them so we had no choice but find a way over. We picked our way carefully up and over small waterfalls, if that word can apply to a 3 or 4 foot drop off. In some areas the stone roof was very low over our heads, which was a problem for the more claustrophobic members of our group. In other area the ceiling soared so high we could scarcely see it even with our headlamps pointed up. In some places we found ourselves climbing up a 20 foot rock, which was a problem for the lady scared of heights, especially when we turned the next corner and found ourselves on a ledge 25 feet over the river. I’ve never focused so hard on where to step, and where to put my hand, and how to shift my weight. It took well over an hour until we reached the point where we started climbing up to the dry chamber. In this chamber they don’t allow shoes (what?!) but we did bring socks. So then we climbed straight up rock faces in socks to get to the large flat chambers above. This is the part the seems a little unbelievable, even to me just after I did it. Of course we were all looking at Orlando in disbelief every time he’d show us what we had to do next. He’d climb up the wall quickly saying “left foot here, right foot here, hand here, swing your body around and your almost there”. Needless to say, it wasn’t quite as easy for us as it was for him. Thanks to the adrenaline coursing through our veins and the constant threat of falling, we were alert and focused and we didn’t have any accidents. When we finally reached the lower of the dry chambers, I was awestruck. It was almost as if someone had been in here camping a few years ago instead of between 700 and 900 A.D as archeologists say. There were clay pots, mostly broken pots, scattered everywhere. There were small fire pits in every nook and cranny of the space we could see which was about half the size of a football field. There were 2 large carved stone tablets on a high place in the distance. Archaeologists believe that the nobility of the Mayans came here for religious ceremonies of sacrifice and burnt offerings. At the end of the ceremony the pot had to always be broken, and so we saw many that were similarly broken in large pieces. We walked further and further back until we came to the place where it is believed human sacrifices were made. Several skeletons are clearly visible and it is believed that if the sediment under them were excavated, many more would be found in what amounts to a pile where they were left after sacrifice. They believe that the Mayans wanted the heart to present to their gods, and once it was removed the body became unimportant. The end of the dry chamber (at least the part open to the public) holds a final skeleton, completely intact. After studying it, they believe this one was a young woman of about 20 years of age. Every detail of the skeleton is visible; the teeth, ribs, vertebrae, etc, have been calcified and covered with a thin layer of sediment in the cave. It was an eerie feeling, and a somber mood seemed to fall on the group. Even if it had been over a thousand years ago, here were people who died horrible deaths to please a god that lived only in the imaginations of the Mayans. We stood no more than a few feet away from artifacts that you would think should be locked away in a museum. There were thin red pieces of string or plastic laid along the path to separate the artifacts from the walking path. No barriers, just trust that the respectful guides would not allow any harm to come to them. Of course this has not always been the case. There is one skull with a hole in it that was caused from the dropped camera of a tourist shortly after the cave was opened to the public. The cave was closed after that, but eventually re-opened with the new rules about not carrying anything into the cave and not wearing shoes in the chamber.
At this point, having already been in the cave for about 2 hours, I would’ve liked for Orlando to open a back door and lead us back through the rainforest. But alas, this is not Disneyworld, and there is no emergency exit. We turned to leave the chamber and find our shoes to make the same trek back out of the cave. Climbing down these rocks that we had just ascended proved to be no easier. We did stop a few times to admire the formations of countless colors and types. Many were beautiful ribbons of rocks cascading down the walls sparkling with crystals. There were stalactites and stalagmites straining to reach other, along with a few we spotted that had reached each other and formed majestic columns. But we were mostly quiet on the way back, whether from exhaustion and continued focus on not falling, or because of the weight of what we had just witnessed, I can’t say. We all agreed that if the U.S. had made a discovery such as this, they would never let us see it in this natural setting. Not to mention that the treacherous trip into the cave would carry far too much liability in the U.S. to be allowed (we had the same thought last year after the Jaguar Encounter). We stopped to eat lunch once we were out of the cave since Orlando had brought it in a backpack and left it outside the cave. It was delicious, of course we were all starving. We talked with Orlando about his life in Belize and about his family. These are times I always love, finding out about the lives of people who live differently than I do. After the long hike back out of the jungle and through the 3 rivers, we were ready to change into the dry clothes we had brought. The return drive was no less bumpy, but was even more beautiful as the fog from the morning had lifted and we had an impressive view of the Maya Mountains.
Once back at the hotel, we decided to take advantage of the couple of hours of daylight left and walk into town. This was our first time to venture into San Ignacio and we loved it. Quaint streets packed with stores and restaurants. Several parks throughout the town and people walking here and there. A beautiful market with fresh fruits and vegetables and some local arts and crafts. This is going to be a great trip, I can feel it already.
