Actun Tunichil Muknal Entrance

by Li Newton

Title

Actun Tunichil Muknal Entrance

Artist

Li Newton

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photography

Description

Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) cave n Belize. The Mayan cave known locally as "Xibalba," is a notable as a Maya archaeological site that includes skeletons, ceramics, and stoneware. They include the famous "Monkey Pot,"," one of only four located across Central America. There are several areas of skeletal remains in the main chamber. The best-known is "The Crystal Maiden," the skeleton of a teenage girl, probably a sacrifice victim, whose bones have been calcified to a sparkling, crystallized appearance.
The ceramics at the site are significant partly because they are marked with "kill holes," which indicates they were used for ceremonial purposes. Many of the Mayan artifacts and remains are completely calcified to the cave floor. The Mayans also modified cave formations here, in some instances to create altars for the offerings, in others to create silhouettes of faces and animals, or to project a shadow image into the cave. The cave is extensively decorated with cave formations in the upper passages. Part of the cave extends over the border into Guatemala, where it ends.

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June 13th, 2012

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