Actun Tunichil Muknal

Cayo · Belize · Natural site

In the cave the Maya called the gateway to the underworld Xibalba lies the Crystal Maiden — a human sacrifice whose bones glitter in the stone floor.

The Maya regarded the cave in the Tapir Mountain reserve as an entrance to Xibalba, the underworld realm where the death gods held court, and waded into the dark to appease them. Furthest in lies the Crystal Maiden: a complete skeleton whose bones have calcified into a sparkling, almost translucent sheen, fused forever to the cave floor.

Archaeologists have found fourteen sacrificial victims here, from infants to adults, killed for the rain god during the severe droughts of the ninth century — the worse the drought grew, the younger the victims became. Locals knew of the cave long before researchers arrived in 1989 and kept away from it, and to this day guides and visitors describe how the air in the sacrificial chamber turns heavy and oppressive.

FAQ

Where is Actun Tunichil Muknal located?

Actun Tunichil Muknal is in Cayo, Belize.