Actun Tunichil Muknal, Cayo District, Belize - November 28, 2010

Actun Tunichil Muknal is a cave in Belize, near San Ignacio Cayo, notable as a Maya archaeological site that includes skeletons, ceramics, and stoneware. The most famous of the human remains is known as "The Crystal Maiden", the skeleton of a teenage girl, probably a sacrifice victim, whose bones which have been completely calcified by the natural processes of the cave, leaving them with a sparkling crystallized appearance. There are several areas of skeletal remains in the main chamber.

The ceramics at the site are significant partially because they are marked with "kill holes", which indicates they were used for ceremonial purposes. Many of the Mayan artifacts and remains are completely calcified to the cave floor. The Mayans also modified cave formations here. Some to create altars for the offerings, others created silhouettes of faces and animals, some projecting a shadow image in the cave. The cave is extensively decorated with cave formations in the upper passages.

Animal life in the cave includes a large population of bats, large fresh water crabs, crayfish, catfish and other tropical fish, Large invertebrates like Amblypygi and various predatory spiders also inhabit the cave. Agouti and Otters may also use the cave. This and many other species are quite common in river caves of this size in Belize.

Wikipedia couldn't have described it better.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Belize
• Cave
• Actun Tunichil Muknal
• Maya
• Cayo