The people in Belize are very friendly. This beautiful woman readily agreed to allow me to photograph her and her child.

Tags:   Belize Canon 40D

© All Rights Reserved

This tree was so amazing that I asked our Belizean tour guide to pull over so I could photograph it. He told me that I had singled out the sacred tree of the Maya. The Maya believed that a great Ceiba tree stood at the center of the earth. It's branches touch the heavens; its roots, the underworld.

(pronounced "SAY-ba")

Tags:   ceiba tree Belize Maya Canon 40D

© All Rights Reserved

When we were planning our recent trip to Belize, I wanted to make sure we visited one of the major archaeological sites: Actun Tunichil Muknal cave (aka ATM cave or Cave of the Stone Sepulcher). It is a Mayan archaeological site where a guide certified by the Belize Institute of Archaeology is needed.

I had read about it and wanted to make sure I saw it while I was still physically fit for you must swim across the cave entrance, slosh through waist-deep water, climb over rocks and boulders, and climb an aluminum ladder in your 3 - 4 hour trek in the cave.

Although the cave was first entered by the Mayans in 300-600 AD, it was not until 700 - 900 AD that they journeyed deeper into to the cave to perform their ceremonies. At this time, the Maya were in need of rain, so many of the ceremonies probably involved rituals to the Rain God, Chac.

Within the cave, you are in for a real treat for you will see many true archaeological finds from Mayan ceramic pottery with a "kill hole" to allow spirits to escape to skeletons of sacrificial victims. The most renown of the 14 skeletal remains discovered in ATM cave is the "Crystal Maiden." She was a 20 year old woman. As she was a young woman, she was probably considered to be “zuhui” - pure and uncontaminated in the eyes of the gods. So she was probably offered to the gods to bring rain. Once deep within the cave, she was clubbed and left for dead. And then, over eons, her bones calcified creating a sparkling appearance.

I knew I wanted to photograph the Crystal Maiden before I went to Belize, and I also knew that a large camera was impractical for the cave. So, I purchased a small PowerShot 90 just for the cave. My worry was the lighting in the cave. The cave is completely dark and you must wear a headlamp on your hardhat in order to see. We also did not have a lot of time to compose our shot as other groups were waiting to climb the ladder to view the maiden. Nonetheless, I think I achieved a photograph rather than a snapshot. Once home, I made adjustments in Photoshop and added a blue filter to create a “colder” effect.

Tags:   Belize ATM Cave Crystal Maiden Canon 40D SuperShot

© All Rights Reserved

I had hoped to spot a Toucan when we planned our trip to Belize and my wish came true. We were originally scheduled to go to a different Mayan ruin, but our guide suggested we visit Cahal Pech, which is near San Ignacio, Belize. We agreed and I am so glad we did, for we sighted many Collared Aracari there. Their range is from Mexico to Columbia where they are found in the canopy of the rainforest.

As they are omnivorous, their diet is diverse consiting of fledglings, eggs, insects, and fruits. The bill of the Collared Aracari, while sturdy for eating fruit, is also thin and lightweight for flight.

Tags:   Collared Aracari Belize Toucan Birds Cahal Pech Canon 40D Pteroglossus torquatus

© All Rights Reserved

In Belize at the Maya ruin, Caracol, I spotted this beautiful butterfly. It sat posing for me for quite some time.

Tags:   butterfly Caracol Belize Anartia fatima Canon 40D

© All Rights Reserved