Case file · Sacred site
Actun Tunichil Muknal and the 'Crystal Maiden'
The cave of Actun Tunichil Muknal in Belize, explored from 1989, holds Maya pots and the calcified skeletons of people sacrificed deep inside, among them the sparkling 'Crystal Maiden'.
1989 CE · 17.12, -88.86 · status: official
The account
To the Maya caves were entrances to Xibalba, the underworld; the offerings date mostly to about AD 700–900, a time of drought. The 'maiden' was later found to be a teenage boy.