Meander into the Maya Underworld Capturing the cover at Barton Creek Cave WRITTEN BY: CAROLEE CHANONA PHOTOS CREDIT: FULL MEMORY PHOTOGRAPHY
EVxsexxNAfe,9EdaseEsasd f »ce e : 5e9,adse9a,9efV,,,5e , 9a9d achievement, all balled up in one notion to push past the boundaries of a comfort zone. And once you’re enveloped by darkness and the unknown, that spells out spelunking. Frankly, going caving is cool to begin with, but when it’s into a ceremonial cave to capture a magazine cover? That cool acEs f 9e9xexN Ve9Vs9 Eff Be a& E9E Be xe5^a·ed sEad 9 GeEse·,,e, e be9 Be &^ca, Ba,fda& »cV e sxE9N TBe BasE9 CseeE AscBeE,Eca, Reserve is about 45 minutes outside of San Ignacio Town, found past a sadE9a, Me99E9e cE55V9& 9 Be U^^es BasE9 CseeE asea a9d BsEVB a9 EV,e Ef Be BasE9 CseeE xe,fN Fsa9cxcE—EVs Vde fsE5 Be,˜e Fa5,& Ad·e9Vsex—a9d Bx ,a9d csVxes ase V9^Baxed b& Be gentle rush, rippling over river rocks and his tires. In a country with more than 100 navigable caves, including the nearly ¨,¨¨¨xgVaseEE f CBgVbV, Ca·e &xe S 5—Be ,asex 9 Be,˜e a9d ,E9ex 9 Ce9sa, A5esca—BasE9 CseeE Ca·e x nep xVbessa9ea9 x^e,V9E9, E9,& »^,Ese e d b& ca9EeN OVed B EVs Bead,a5^x, ,fe ·exx, a9d ^add,ex 9 Be ^esxE9 ca9Ee, e Bead Easdx Be 5a9 event: draped mounds of stalactites and stalagmites that has taken 5,,e9aEe5esefsE5Be,5exE9escBCa&EDxscN Be99xdae ca·exaEse f 9E9dEfgVNe WBe9E9,& Be xEV9dxBa of your own breath and wavelets made by your paddle, you’re prompted to notice what you are (brave), and what you are not (fearless). At a pace of maybe a mile an hour, our canoes suddenly became time machines; bee9¨¨ANDNE?¨ANDN,Ma&axe9esedca·exb&EscB,,B9Be ca·ea,·exB EEa,, f ,cE9a5exNIqx5^Exxb,eExee9se Be & of the chamber that we’re in all at once: we’re limited to the undulating a,,x,#adsE^^99aVsa,Eddex,x^asE,&EBesEs,d,&ce,9x,9aVsa, bsdex,a9dBe59esa,scBaesBaEVsBead,a5^x,,V59aeN Fsa9cxcE »^,a9x e Ba sE&a,&, B ^sexx, a9d Be BV5a9 xacscex eseE9,& Be a,,EeB9d Bexecese5E9a,ca·exEs f xacseEff d es9x to the many gods of the Maya. Proof of this endured in the form of ceramic ^Ees&Es f se BeasBx Efcese5E9a,cE^a,9ce9xe, EE,x a9dea^E9x, a9d·ee 9ca,cexEe d ,ea,se5a9xNTBEVca·e Be, xx,,na,·epEda&, actively creating new formations as water drips through its caverns. For a 5E5e9 Ef xE,e59 x,e9ce, e acB Vs9ed EVs ,Bx Eff E seec E9 4
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