Mayan Ruins

Yesterday Wayne and Carol Flora treated us to a trip to the mainland. 

A taxi van picked us up at 6:15am and took us to the Water Taxi that departed at 7:00am for Caye Caulker and on to Belize City.    The first thing on our agenda was a trip to Altun Ha, one of the many sites of Mayan ruins. 

The road to the ruins was pretty good as we left Belize City.  However, once we turned towards the ruins the road became one lane.  Although it was paved, there were so many pot holes that we drove off the road almost as much as on the road.  When you met another car, both had to go into the ditch to make room for each other.

The ruins are located in the middle of the jungle.

Altun Ha is a place where the Mayans made sacrifices to their gods.  Whenever it rained too much, or the crops were bad, or there was sickness, etc, the Mayans believed the gods were upset with them.   They believed the only way to appease the gods was to offer a human sacrifice.  There is a big temple where they would take the person to be sacrificed (usually a young virgin girl).

They would gather in this large field

On these stone bleachers.

The leaders and high priests would take the young virgin to the top of the temple where there was a round stone sacrificial platform.

(I guess Gail felt safe here since she is not fifteen years old anymore.)

This was not just the killing of a human sacrifice.  They would take out the heart and offer it to the gods.  Apparently the young girl felt she would be honored in the after life if she was the chosen one.

It is almost impossible to imagine the mentality and extreme circumstances of the Mayan people that would have led them to offering a human heart to a god.

Great experience!