Balankanche Caves

March 21. Saturday as part of our retreat to El Balam, we went to see the Balankanche Caves near Chichen Itza. These caves were used by the Mayans as a ceremonial space specifically to honour Chaac, the god of rain. The Yucatan peninsula is very dry, even though it is a tropical jungle, so rain is vitally important both thousands of years ago and today. This cave was discovered in the 1950s, and the ceremonial articles in the cave were left and are there for all to see. You walk from a jungle path down into very hot humid temperatures, and walk almost a kilometer through the caves on a good stone path. The lowest ceiling height is 1.75 meters, and when you finally get to the centre, you are treated to a great display of Mayan art. At the very end of the caves is the underground cenote river. By the time we walked the full lenth and back with the guide, we were both streaming with sweat and happy to drink some cold water! Amazing place!

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