The group has now completed their first project! A 10 foot wide, 6 kilometer circular boundary and fire-break around the excavated ancient Mayan city site: Xunantunich (‘Stone lady’). We started our last day of cutting the boundary as a well-oiled machete and raking caterpillar-machine (6 days of ‘hardcore gardening’ graft has turned the group in physical warriors) and after just an hour of cutting the last 700 meters the boundary was complete! We trekked back along the entire length of boundary (GPS-ing and mapping as we went) as a lap of honor and to congratulate ourselves on just how much we’d cut. Further celebration involved a final session of temple-top yoga on the park Catillo overlooking the surrounding jungle, an early ‘proper’ wash, being transported across the river one-by-one in a homemade canoe by two very helpful local chaps (we’d missed the last cable ferry) and some well earned food and drink in town.
A brief stop at field base in San Ignacio allowed the group to wash/burn their sweat, mud and blood encrusted kit, count their bites /splinters/cuts (and treat them) and relax before embarking on our next project: cutting a 20km northern boundary to the Elijio Panti National Park.
We were happy to return to our original base where we’d been both jungle trained, and enchanted by the beautiful jungle and incredible cascade waterfall system (not to mention the palatial visitor centre, Palapas, water-fall camp, toilet block, steps and changing facilities built by previous Trekforce expeditions to encourage sustainable eco-tourism within the park).
Recently a Mayan man from Punta Gorda experienced an intense vision essentially involving a giant eagle taking him to a cave where within lay hundred of piles of slain jungle animals. A healer of the animals told him of the slaughter and waste of precious animal life by human hunters and unsustainable greed, as well as teaching him how Mayan ceremonies should be conducted (using the finest natural offerings blessed and offered to the Mayan Gods in a specific way). The significance of this vision has resonated through the Mayan community in Belize and so, the ‘master’ and his entourage of family and community are travelling every Mayan site in Belize to conduct an offering ceremony and teach each local Mayan community this particular method.
Out of respect, we offered to retreat elsewhere and allow their two day ceremony to commence, but were collectively humbled by the Mayan groups kindness and warmth. We shared our camp, we watched the gathering of the offerings (a rainbow of natural products including huge beeswax candles, cacao, coffee, a rooster, a chicken, incense and a wide array of natural foods – all arranged beautifully on Bay and Cahun leaf alter, we were gently told “you eat what we eat, you drink what we drink, we are part of all the same family for this time”. Once the offerings had been prepared, the entire group (including the Punta Gorda Mayan group, Antonio - our beloved park warden, the heads of the Mayan society ITZAMNA and us) assembled and briefed, and had midnight come: the ceremony began in earnest.
We knelt and silently watched the Mayan group as they knelt and simultaneously, individually prayed aloud to Chac (the Mayan rain God) at the altar. Once the master had completed his prayer, the group blessed the offerings with chanting and the swirling of wonderful smelling incense pots around the alter in a continuous circle. We each participated in the blessing, before the offerings were carefully packed and the entire group formed silent line starting at the altar.
The Master then led us a kilometer or so to a huge cave which had been pre-selected as appropriate to make the offering and decorated with leaves. The Mayan group entered the cave (some barefooted!) with us close behind. 12 pounds of natural incense were then placed in a stone wall high on one wall and set alight. This created a raging fire consisting of huge six-foot cords of flame which coiled upwards around one another while producing clouds of black smoke. The fire, smoke and its effect on the cave’s bats (understandable mad swooping and squeaking) added to the already other-worldly feel of the night.
The master then dug a deep hole and the offerings were carefully laid within and covered, before five of the huge beeswax candles were arranged in a cross with the centre candle (placed directly above the offerings) representing the centre of the Mayan universe. We then again silently copied the Mayans as they each light a small candle from one of the large cross candles and knelt and to pray allowed. We think they were imploring Chac to accept the offerings, to send rain, protect Mayan sites and all jungle animals and plants and understand that the vision had been understood and is being acted upon.
Eventually the praying individually subsided and the group each sat in silence with their candle mounted on the cave wall until the fire burnt all the incense. This part of the ceremony is intended to allow each present to contemplate their concerns and request guidance from Chac. Each of our group used the hour and a half or so, to both gaze in dumb-struck wonder at the candle cross, the mounted wall candles and raging cracking fire lighting up the cave, and to have our own personal ruddy good think.
Once the fire burnt away, the mood instant became celebratory and the Mayan group chattered and laughed as we all headed back up to camp to enjoy a feast of natural sweet coffee and chicken soup. It was a night no one will forget.
The next day we were allowed a hammock lie-in and then just a light day of trekking and surveying some of the boundary to be cut. The terrain was very different to Xunantunich. At Elijio Panti the jungle is high high, rugged, mountainous terrain, but although we could all see we were in for a physical challenge, we were suitably motivated by the ceremony and began cutting in earnest the very next day.
