We greeted our arrival in Belize with a wave of relief. The journey from Flores proved to be quicker, easier and less bumpy than expected (they had paved large chunks of the 25km stretch of gravel road). The border guards welcomed us in perfect English, inquiring after our plans, wishing us a quick return to health and offering friendly advice. The hostel we checked into in San Ignacio was run by an elderly gentleman with 21 grandchildren, a fascination with birds, and a willingness to take us to any of the numerous Maya ruins in the vicinity, to arrange any other excursions we may wish and even to offer American bought Tums for any indigestion problems we may have.
Belize is unlike all other Central American countries. First and foremost, it is a former English colony and English is the primary language, although Spanish is also commonly spoken. Secondly, it is a predominantly African country. Here the inhabitants are more likely to speak with a Jamaican accent or in their own Creole, wear dreadlocks and listen to Reggae. Finally, it is a country with closer relations to the US and Britain than to the rest of Central America. It is relatively well off, huge on tourism and plagued little by the political scandals and civil upheavals of its southern neighbors.
Our first stop in Belize was San Igancio, a little town only a short hop from the Guatemalan border. It is a jumping off point for numerous adventures and excursions, whether it would be trips into the Maya Mountains, caving expeditions, rafting excursions, or simply visits to one of the many Maya sites in the surrounding forests. Our main purpose for the stopover was a visit to the highly acclaimed ATM caves.
Actun Tunichil Muknal is a cave distinguished as a Maya archeological site that includes not only stoneware and ceramics, but also skeletal remains of sacrificial victims. The most notable of these is the “Crystal Maiden”, a skeleton of a teenage girl whose bones have been completely calcified by the natural process of the cave.
The main cave system is about 3 miles long and consists of a long river passage. About a third of the way up from the entrance there is a set of chambers where 14 skeletal remains and hundreds if not thousands of examples of ancient Maya pottery have been found. The cave was used for ceremonial purposes by the Maya, who brought the pots and offerings up to the cave to ask the Gods for favors or to beg for forgiveness.
It proved to be a fascinating excursion, combing both the adventure of caving and the cultural element of exploring a Maya archeological site. For over 3 hours we disappeared into the cave system, swimming and wading through the underground river, squeezing through little passages and climbing the various ledges and formation. Once in the deeper caverns we were left to marvel at how the Maya, over a thousand years ago, had managed to navigate the pitch black of the caves without the benefit of headlamps and batteries. Had their torches dropped into the river, had they slipped and soaked them under a waterfall, they would have no way of finding their way out. Add to this the fact that they carried large ceramic pots filled with beans, rice and various other offerings, burdens that would have been difficult to carry on a flat and well lit road, and nearly impossible through this underground maze. The mere action of turning off all our headlamps was sufficient to give us an appreciation of the obstacles and dangers faced by the Maya in coming into these caves.
It was an amazing and incredibly rewarding, albeit a bit pricy trip. At $75US per person, we were quickly made aware that Belize was no longer Guatemala, and that this country quite likely deserves its claim for being one of Central America’s most expensive destinations. However, we did not regret the money spent and simply wished that we had more time to spare to explore some of San Ignacio’s other attractions. Despite the town itself not having much to offer (resembling more a truck-stop village than a tourist destination), the surroundings would have deserved further exploration. However, with our trip shortly coming to an end, we were keen to head to the beaches of Caye Caulker.
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