Sacrificial caves ‘of fear’ that are 'entrance to the underworld'

Cave tourism is big business in Belize and it makes sense since it's home to the fabled portal to the underworld.

The so-called portal to the underworld is homed in a cave 'of fear' in Belize, at least it is according to an ancient South American culture.

Specifically, the Maya people of Belize believed that the entrance to the underworld or hell was a lot closer than you might expect.

Xibalba (chee-bal-ba) translates to ‘place of fear’ and was significant to the Maya culture, the same culture often referred to as Mayans.

And if the word Xibalba sounds familiar you are either an avid history buff or a fan of the fantastic 2000 classic Road to Road to El Dorado. Either way, good on you.

Professor of archaeology at University of California Holley Moyes said scientists are still speculating as to why the ancient civilization was convinced the portal to the underworld lay in these caves.

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“We do know that as early on as the Neanderthals, people were buried in the dark zones of caves in what we speculate might be some sort of bear-related cult,” Moyes said.

“Think about it. What do bears do in winter? Hibernate in caves. They appear to be dead. Then they wake up and go about their business, so possibly ancient people saw this as a type of resurrection.”

The Maya believed the caves were home to the Gods of death and they reigned supreme here.

To this civilization, the Gods controlled nearly every facet of their lives and were considered responsible for everything from the weather to the harvest of that year.

To appease these Gods, the Maya would enter the caves and use important rituals like burial, bloodletting, and sacrifice.

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Due to the nature of the caves, keeping them preserved and even safe for the public’s viewing pleasure is difficult but of the utmost importance.

Relics and evidence of sacrifices have been found by archeologists but there is still much to be explored and discovered.

Miguel Choco, a Q’eqchi’ Maya tour guide for The Lodge at Chaa Creek, emphasized the importance of studying ancient Maya, travelling to ‘Xibalba’ to understand the history.

“It is vital to learn about the [context] of the ceremonial activities in the caves and why they concluded with human sacrifice,” he said.

“The world must know we are still maintaining as much of the culture as possible.”