Excavating Belize’s cave of human sacrifice

Available for over a year

When Belizean archaeologist Dr Jaime Awe entered a cave, now known as Actun Tunichil Muknal or ATM cave, he had no idea what to expect. As he descended deeper into the underground void, he realized it had been a sacred site for the ancient Mayan people who inhabited Belize a thousand years ago. Almost immediately after he entered the cave, Jaime stumbled upon sculptures made by the ancient Maya to signify that the cave was a portal to their underworld. Through archaeological clues, he could tell that within the cave walls ritual bloodletting would happen as an offering to the Mayan gods. Jaime found pottery, grinding stones and made much more macabre discoveries. Throughout the caverns were the skeletal remains of 20 people, including 12 children. There was even one completely intact skeleton, which has since been nicknamed the Crystal Maiden. Seeing this, there was only one conclusion Jaime could draw: these people died as human sacrifices. The cave also helped Jaime develop a theory to answer a nagging question in archeology. That is, why ancient Mayan civilization began to decline after flourishing for hundreds of years. Produced and presented by Saskia Collette Get in touch: [email protected] or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707 (Photo: Jaime Awe inside the Actun Tunichil Muknal cave. Credit: Myka Schwanke)