Don’t be Afraid! Discovering Belize’s Maya Underworld is Magical

09 Jun Don’t be Afraid! Discovering Belize’s Maya Underworld is Magical

You needn’t have been trained in the social sciences to understand that all cultures rely upon origin myths to make sense of things that have no plausible explanations. For the ancient Maya people, nothing was more sacred than “the underworld” where gods were worshipped, sacrifices made and intricate rituals dominated this exotic belief system.

Must you be a believer to appreciate the nuances, customs, artifacts, and rituals that guided the lives of everyone from Maya kings to ordinary people? Not necessarily. It’s easy to understand how powerful faith can be when practiced by people so devoted, they didn’t hesitate to be sacrificed if the gods asked for appeasement.

According to academicians at Michigan State University, the Maya people put their faith in nature and astronomy, honoring deities like the Sun God (Kinih Ahous) and Maize God (Yum Kaax). As homages to these gods, pyramid-like temples were built throughout what is now Belize and an estimated 165 gods kept high priests busy year-round.

Of extreme import to this religion was respect for human souls, each destined to spend their afterlives in an underworld where gods lived and were worshipped, thus the closest earthly places celebrants could practice their faith were the deep caves located within sinkholes and along the ocean coast of Central America.

Within these dank caves, rituals, celebrations, and other events were staged, sacrifices were made and offerings were left for both the bountiful gods and evil gods frequently represented as jaguars. For generations, people came to these holy places to worship.

If you would love to know more about why these caves were so valuable to the Maya people, you owe it to yourself to travel to places priests undertook all of these rituals. The best way to do that is to visit caves in the capable hands of a guide whose expertise and knowledge makes this type of adventure doubly meaningful.

Only one Belize company promises an authentic cave experience: Take the Maya underworld tour given by Dark Night Cave Tubing Adventures. Visitors are assured safety under the watchful eye of guides trained to make this experience meaningful and fascinating. You’ll travel with a small group (to maintain social distancing protocols) to a starting point introducing you to a world that will intrigue and fascinate you.

Travel through expansive caverns wearing a helmet light that illuminates the walls of these foreboding caverns. No detail has been skipped to deliver an unforgettable tour. Dark Night prides itself on maintaining a solid reputation that has no equal. Pair your visit to the caves with a camping trip, add cave tubing and/or zip-lining to your itinerary for the full Belize experience within a lush environment filled with challenges that thrill, delight and intrigue every visitor.

Friends will be envious when they see your selfies and to be honest, once you return home, memories of your time spent within the cave could entice you to learn more about this fascinating society. And if your friends catch a case of Maya underworld fever, they are likely to follow in your footsteps!