Actun Tunichil Muknal means “Cave of the Crystal Sepulchre.” The cave itself was named after her, or rather her tomb. She lies on her back, her mouth open and her entire skeleton covered in glittering calcite, created by deposition of minerals, hence the name “Crystal Maiden”. Photo credit: The Crystal Maiden was a 20-something-year-old woman who was sacrificed by an ancient Maya priest as part of a religious ritual more than 1,000 years ago. About a quarter-mile from the entrance is the main chamber where one can see the remains of fourteen human skeletons including the calcified remains of what is named the Crystal Maiden. Remains of ceremonial offerings begin just inside the cave mouth, starting with snail shells and growing stranger and more abundant as one moves deeper into the cave. The entrance to the cave is shaped like an hour glass and is flooded with water. The Actun Tunichil Muknal, conveniently abbreviated as "ATM", was first explored in the late 1980s. One such cave where the Maya performed ritual sacrifices is located in the heart of Belize near San Ignacio in the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve. The Maya people dreaded the underworld, and felt it necessary to appease the terrible gods that lived down there by performing sacrifices, the highest form of which is the sacrifice of humans. The Maya believed that caves, especially those that extend for several kilometers underground, are entries to the underworld or Xibalba, the "place of fear", where the evil lords lived.
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