Descent to the Underworld of Chechem-Ha
by Susan Hoffman

ABOVE: Pots blackened by ceremonial fires.

Mike points out a pot adorned with a crude beheaded human stick figure in relief. He explains that this symbol was used by the ancient Maya to indicate a poison. The name given this cave, Chechem-Ha, is Mayan for "Poisonwood Water," derived from the ominous symbol on this pot. Chechem was widely used throughout the Maya realm. Indeed, according to Mayanist David Friedel, an elaborate tomb discovered at Kalakmul featured a royal skeleton, the bones painted brilliant red and placed on a bed of Chechem seeds and the seeds of Chacal (Gumbo limbo), its antidote. (Personal communication.)

Some narrow passages have to be ascended or descended with the aid of knotted ropes and scanty footholds. We slide ungracefully down some of the steeper slopes, legs bruised and jeans covered with pasty mud. The cave echoes with our gasps and groans.

At the end of the cave, we come upon a large chamber, 75 feet high and 50 feet across, in the center of which is a ceremonial circle of rocks with evidence of past fires. The smoke from ancient flames had darkened the ceiling. Remnants of burned wood lie inside the circle of stones. From in a heap along one wall of the chamber, Abraham hands me some bone fragments: thin long bones, maybe the limbs of a deer? Abraham is not sure if the bones are animal or human. I hold a fragment of bone in my open palm and try to evoke voices from centuries past.

We sit a few moments in silence, hearing only the sound of our labored breathing and the faraway drip of water as it percolates through the porous limestone walls. No sounds from the outside world penetrate this deeply. When each of us has found a place to sit around the fire circle, Mike tells us to douse our lights. In utter darkness and silence, the musty scent of ancient dust permeates the grand chamber. Here the Maya made offerings to the W'itz monster, the earth lord, praying for the bountiful blessings of indifferent gods. In the profound silence 300 feet deep in the rich tropical earth, I conjure up ancient chants in my mind.

To the Maya, caves represented sacred space, a portal to the frightening realm of Xibalba. Deep in the heart of the earth, a Maya shaman could communicate with the W'itz god and pray to the spirits for sustenance. Many pre-Columbian temples are built directly above subterranean chambers, such as at Muyil, and the Temple of the Sun at Teotihuacan. So deeply ingrained was the Maya sense of the power and sanctity of caves that they tried to replicate subterranean chambers in their major buildings.

ABOVE: An inscribed Mayan vessel.

The late Mayanist Linda Schele said that Copan's Temple 22 marks the inner chamber as a manmade cave where kings performed bloodletting rituals to conjure up gods and ancestors. The subterranean labyrinth of the Palace at Palenque simulates a dark, multi-chambered cavern for performing ceremonies and divinations. Even today, living Maya throughout Mexico and Central America continue to perform rituals in caves. The Lacandones in Chiapas, for instance, are said to "retire" their old god pots reverently in caves alongside the bones of their ancestors. After witnessing a ritual in a cave deep in the Guatemalan highlands, Schele observed, "The cave is alive with the most powerful energies of the Otherworld." Here, the Maya believe, is where rain is born.

Soon, we retrace our steps, shinnying up the knotted ropes and scaling damp rocks past stalagmites spiring from the cave floor. Leaving the cave, we find the descent just as difficult as climbing the slippery forested hillside had been. Gravity and damp vegetation combine to propel us downward through the humid jungle. Palms, orchids, ferns are all a blur as we slide to the path below.

The trail eventually leads to the Morales household, where we take advantage of their small concession and admire their view. An open-sided enclosure with thatched roof serves as a restaurant as well as the family's kitchen. The home is perched on the edge of a large ravine next to a beautiful waterfall. Hummingbirds frequent the flower garden and a Chachalaca, a relative of the pheasant, has made himself a family pet. Wild orchids drip from almost every tree, and everywhere are lush clumps of a delicate fern known as inland coral (so-called because its stems are jet-black like the coral found in Belize's vast coastal reefs). Exhausted and covered from head to toe with black cave mud, Anna, Jim and I are grateful for the opportunity to examine these rare treasures.

Article and Photo Credits: Susan Hoffman. You can reach Susan at susanehoffman@hotmail.com Her website: www.SusaneHoffman.com

HOME