Caving and Cave Tubing

Belize is home to the largest cave system in all of Central America. Visitors never cease to be amazed by the awe-inspiring stalactites and stalagmites inside the caves, though the ancient Maya took a very different view of these magnificent structures. The Maya believed the caves or actuns as they were known, were a portal to Xibalba, the underworld, and used them for religious ceremonies. The Maya offered sacrifices to these “gods of death” in these very caves. As a result, nearly every cave in Belize has some evidence of Mayan occupation. Findings have ranged from gifts such as carved jade, storage vessels, and decorative pottery to embedded footprints and human skeletal remains.