This jungle cave, which was discovered in 1989, is located in the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve. To get there, take an hour’s ride from San Ignacio, Belize, and then walk through the jungle and across shallow rivers for an additional hour. At this point, the Actun Tunichil Muknal, or “ATM,” cave mouth, is reached. One must swim into the cave and then wade up the cave river for an additional kilometer in order to enter the cave.
The skeletons of the ceremonial sacrifices the Maya made to their gods more than a thousand years ago can be found at the back of the cave system by walking another kilometer and a half through the cave, past massive boulders and large rooms, one of which is called “The Cathedral.”
The age range of the skeletons is one year to adulthood. Four of those sacrificed are young children, some of whom were crammed into small adjacent caves and cracks. They range in age from one to three. There’s a fifteen-year-old (who looks like she was bound before she was killed), a twenty-year-old, and a large number of adults between the ages of thirty and forty-five. Numerous younger skeletons exhibit “skull shaping,” or cranial deformation, which gives the heads of these individuals an oddly elongated appearance.
The majority of them died from blunt head trauma; some had their entire skulls crushed. The majority of the pottery discovered at the site dates from between 700 and 900 AD, which is probably the time when bodies discovered here were sacrificed, even though it is challenging to date skeletons precisely because they are essentially cemented to the cave floor by calcite.
Most famous of these long-dead Maya is probably the skeleton of a 17-year-old boy known as “The Crystal Maiden,” which is located farther into the cave. Although the owner of the skeleton was first thought to be female (due to its small size and slight frame), closer inspection of the bones has revealed features that suggest they were male. (There are reports that certain tour guides call it “The Crystal Prince.”)
The positioning of the skeleton and the fact that two vertebrae are crushed make it unique. The person’s body has been lying on the ground for at least the past 1,100 years, and researchers think that before being hurled or tossed, this person may have died in a particularly violent way. Because the skeleton has been there for so long, the bones have completely calcified, giving them a sparkling, slightly plump appearance that gave rise to the nickname “crystalline.”
Related Topic You Might Find Interesting:
- Xin Zhui And The Story Of The Stunningly Intact Lady Dai Mummy
- Top 10 Greatest and shocking Archaeological Discoveries of All Time
- 13-year-old dog missing for two months found alive in a cave.
The purpose of the sacrifices is unknown, but some people think it was to placate the gods of the underworld or the rain god Chac. Another theory holds that these were believed to be witches (possibly suffering from some kind of mental or physical ailments) and that leaving them unburied in the cave would ensure that their spirits were trapped there.
Additional artifacts discovered within the cave comprise of ceramics bearing “kill holes” and Maya-carved animal and facial silhouettes. Amblypygi, or “whip spiders,” and other predatory spiders can also be found in the cave.
Very little has been taken from the cave since it was discovered, largely because of its inaccessibility and the calcification process that has preserved many of the relics exactly as they were left. (A few items were taken early on.)
Translating to “Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre,” Actun Tunichil Muknal is also called “Xibalba” by the locals, who named it after the Mayan underworld. Traditionally, the Crystal Cave was thought to be a portal to hell, a large crack in the ground that was home to scorpions and rivers of blood. This was the underground court of the Lords of Xibalba, home to the Mayan death gods. These twelve gods, often called “demons,” went by titles like “Skull Staff” and “Stabbing Demon,” and they plagued people with a variety of ailments like pain, illness, and terror.
Only a select few tour guides are authorized to lead tours of ATM Cave, one of the few protected areas in all of Belize. Be very careful, however, as none of the skeletons or pottery are roped off, and one tourist has already accidentally stepped on and broken one of the skulls.
This whale tail sculpture saved a train that went off the rails
A train in the Netherlands failed to stop in time and broke through the emergency barrier. It's being held up by the statue of a whale's tail.
Missing Masterpiece Discovered in the Background of ‘Stuart Little’
In 2009, Gergely Barki, an art historian, was watching the film Stuart Little (1999) when he spotted an original long-lost painting used as a prop. Called Sleeping Lady with Black Vase, this painting was the work of Hungarian avant-garde painter Róbert Berény. The painting had been considered lost after World War II.
The incredible story of a plane that lost its roof in mid-flight and the light signal that saved 94 lives.
On April 28, 1988, Aloha Airlines flight 243 was on the way to Honolulu from Hilo when a huge portion of the upper part of the fuselage blew off the airplane.
Estonians save a wolf from the ice by mistaking it for a dog
Two young construction workers in Estonia discovered what they thought was a dog caught in a frozen lake. They carried it to their car and brought him to an animal shelter, not realizing it was a wolf.
A woman who had been lost since she was a newborn 51 years ago was said to have been spotted
A woman who had been lost since she was a newborn for 51 years was reported to have been sighted.
Kenyan Innovator Creates Smart Gloves That Translate Sign Language Into Audible Speech
In 2023, a Kenyan inventor Roy Allela invented smart gloves that can convert sign language movements into audio speech, for his six years old niece who was born deaf.
Inspiring story of Emma Schols who Saved Her Six Kids From A Burning House
Emma Schols, a Swedish mother, saved all six of her children from a devastating house fire in 2019, running from room to room through flames while bleeding and losing skin. Against all odds, she survived with severe burns covering 90% of her body.
Woman survives skydiving accident, discovers she's pregnant
2005, a woman performing her first solo skydive jump survived a parachute malfunction which caused her to slam face first into a parking lot at 50 MPH. During surgery doctors discovered she was pregnant. She made a full recovery and the baby was fine.
ILOVEYOU Virus, the worst computer virus of all time
The ILOVEYOU Virus, also known as Love Letter for You or Love Bug, had a high infection rate due to its ability to spread itself by copying entries from users' email address books. It is a virus that was created in 2000 by a college student in Manilla, Philippines, and was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the worst computer virus of all time, causing more damage than anything before it.
Kipekee, the world's only spotless giraffe, was born at Brights Zoo
The world's only spotless giraffe was born at a zoo in the United States. The giraffe born without spots on July 31 is the only one of her kind on Earth.
How hero parrot saved little girl who was choking on her breakfast
In 2008 Quaker parrot Willie alerted his owner Megan Howard when the little girl she was babysitting began to choke. Howard was in the bathroom when the parrot repeatedly yelled "Mama! Baby!" flapping his wings. Megan rushed and performed the Heimlich maneuver, saving her life. Willie received the Red Cross Animal Lifesaver Award.
Mystery of 300-year-old mummified mermaid is being probed
There is a 300-year-old mummified mermaid with 30 centimetres tall and features a human-like head, two hands with what appear to be fingernails, and its lower body that look like a fish tail. The “mermaid mummy” is being probed by Japanese scientists in an attempt to unravel the mystery of its existence.
Smart girl saves her family more than 100 people in 2004 tsunami
In 2004, a 10-year-old girl saved her family and 100 other tourists from the Asian tsunami because she had learned about the giant waves in a geography lesson, it has emerged.
Elvita Adams jumps from the Empire State Building and amazingly survived
Elvita Adams once tried to commit suicide by jumping off the empire state building. She Jumped from the 86th floor but was blown back to 85th floor by a strong gust of wind.
Before "The Rock," There Was "Rocky Maivia"
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s first WWF persona was Rocky Maivia, a face (good guy). The audience rejected him due to his cheesy character, with chants of “Die, Rocky, die!”. After this, he became a heel (villain), referring to himself in the third person as “The Rock” and insulting the audience.
chand baori stepwell in Rajasthan India, Ancient cooling technique
This Chand Baori stepwell in Rajasthan, India is over 1200 years old. It’s called Chand Baori. The air at the bottom of the well is 5-6 degrees cooler than at the surface, so in addition to being a water source, it was used as a community gathering place where locals could escape the heat.
Passenger with No Flying Experience Lands Plane in Florida: A Real-Life Aviation Miracle
A passenger with no flying experience landed a twin-engine plane in Florida after the pilot died mid-flight. With guidance from air traffic control, he safely touched down—a real-life aviation miracle caught on radar and radio.
Why Is the N Lowercase in 7-Eleven?
7-ELEVEN is thought to have a lowercase "n" in its logo because the company president's wife believed that a logo with all caps would seem harsh, while a lowercase "n" would make it more graceful.
The Terrifying Mount St. Helens Eruption is Captured by the Robert Landsburg Photographs
Robert Landsburg, a photographer who upon realisation that he is going to die in the mount St. Helens eruption of 1980 lay down on top if his equipment to preserve the photographs he had taken of the events. Landsburg‘s body was found 17 days later, buried in ash with his film intact.
24-year-old burglar beaten by retired boxer victim
A 24-year-old knife-wielding burglar attempted to get into the home of a 72-year-old senior in Oxford, England, in 2009, but was left battered, bruised, and pinned to the ground. Frank Corti, the elderly, turned out to be a former boxing champion.
Before Hollywood, Christopher Walken Was a Teenage Lion Tamer with a Lioness Named Sheba
Before acting, Christopher Walken worked as a lion tamer in a circus at age 16. He performed with a lioness named Sheba and described the job as surprisingly calm—just another day before Hollywood stardom.
A story of a man Survived Inside Sunken Ship For Three Days
A man survived a sunken ship for nearly three days, 279 feet underwater and in complete darkness, while listening to fish eat the bodies of his shipmates.
The WWII Parachute Wedding Dress
Major Claude Hensinger jumped out of a B-29 bomber during World War II when the engine caught fire. He was saved by his parachute. Later, he requested that his fiancée Ruth make him a gown out of the same parachute. The dress is now on display at the Smithsonian Institute.
Who invented the three-point seat belt?
While employed by Volvo in 1959, Swidish engineer Nils Bohlin created the three-point safety belt. Volvo first had the design patented, but soon as they discovered its importance as a new safety measure, they made the patent open to everyone. Millions of lives were genuinely spared by Volvo’s gift to the world.
Water park in japan, ocean dome: Largest indoor water park in the world
The Seagaia Ocean Dome, located in Miyazaki, Japan, was the biggest indoor waterpark in the world. An "Ocean" six times the size of an Olympic pool, filled with 13,500 tons of unsalted, chlorinated water kept heated at 28 degrees Celsius and recognized as the largest simulated pool by the Guinness Book of World Records, measures 12,000 square meters of the sandy beach made from 600 tons of stone.
