#mayan lore

Diving deeper into Mayan lore — and a den of human sacrifice

CAYO, Belize — Shoeless and shivering cold, I’m halfway through a subterranean triathlon of wading, swimming, and climbing through Belize’s Actun Tunichil Muknal, a portal to the sacred underworld according to ancient Mayan lore. Locals still call the cave Xibalba, or “place of fear,” and as I tiptoe past yet another human skull, it’s not hard to understand why. Three hours before, the cave…