While we were staying in San Ignacio, we were supposed to take the ATM hike. ATM stands for ActunTunichil Muknal, which means cave of the stone tomb in Mayan. Mayans believed caves were portals to the underworld. They also believed you had to pass through different levels of the underworld after you died. Priests would go into the caves to offer sacrifices to different Gods of the time. So the ATM is a sacred site for the Mayan people and the people of present day Belize. Action Tunichil Muknal is one of the few places tourists are allowed to go but they cannot bring any cameras or phones.
On the day we were scheduled to take our hike, the ATM was closed due to flooding. It had been pouring rain every night and parts of the day since we showed up in Belize. We were sad about missing the hike. The ATM is supposed to be a once in a life time experience. Luckily for us, we rented a car in Belize. While we were in Hopkins we decided we would make the drive back to the ATM and take in the hike. This was a big deal, the drive is nearly two hours. But we wanted to see the ATM. We met our tour group at the entrance to the road down to the ATM. We got to take our own car to the ATM instead of the tour bus (win).
We walked for about thirty minutes cross a river three times before we got to the entrance to the cave. We had to swim to the entrance and start our hike in pitch darkness of a cave. We had helmets and headlamps to light the way and protect our heads. I do not know how the Mayans made this hike with their offerings and holding a torch for light? We scrambled up rocks and waded through water. We swam and walked through the river in deep water and water up to our chests. We all had an opportunity to be grateful for the helmets when we bonked our heads on the rocks. We squeezed through impossible cracks in the rocks. We learned about the animals and creatures that lived in the caves.
Finally we reached the sight of the sacrifices. This cave is a living museum. There are clay pots and the remainder of alters all over the place. It is beyond fascinating. There are also two skulls and one full skeleton, the last person sacrificed in the cave, probably around 900 AD.
Poor Adell was closest to our guide as he was describing the sacrifices. The rest of us were spared because of the sound of the rushing water kind of drowning him out. But Adell heard the full story. She told Will she wasn't feeling well. He could tell she was going down hill so he wrapped his arms around her just as she fainted. Adell fainting was the scariest part. Will has had this happen a few times in our early marriage. It is a faint and kind of a seizure. It is scary to be the one watching and feeling helpless. It was just a few seconds and she came out of it. The tour guide gave her a snickers bar and some water. We took a break before we took the last bit of the hike to see the full skeleton.
The hike back was much faster. We all really learned a lot and had a powerful experience...fainting included. We were all hungry and tired. The tour company had big plates of rice, beans, and stew chicken waiting for us. I think it was the most delicious meal I ate in Belize.
Because we were in a rental car instead of the tour bus we got to leave when we were ready and have privacy. Extra bonus, we got to take a long dirt road through farm fields to shorten the drive back to Hopkins. We all marveled at the experience we just had. We shared highs and lows. We talked about what we learned and what we were grateful for doing. It was a once in a life time experience!
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