Site Report: Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave

Entrance to ATM cave

Sacrifice Victim

Sacrificial Jar

This cave, located in the Tapir Mountain Reserve near San Ignacio is gaining in popularity for its adventurous cave kloofing trip to see some Mayan sacrifices. The walk into the cave passes through mature forest.

Visits

2009-01-25: We joined an eight-person group to visit the cave based on the raving reviews online and from some others who had gone. We were persuaded to buy some throw-away shoes for the hike into the cave since a large part of the hike is in waist-deep (or higher) water. I was unable to bring the big camera on this trip... the photos are with the cheapie casio camera that Barbara bought in Belize city. The sacrificial remains were quite interesting, and it was really remarkable that they left all the bones and pottery inside the cave.

Species Seen

Kingdom: Animals (7 records)

Phylum: Chordates (7 records)

Class: Birds (7 records)

Order: Gabuliformes (1 record)
- Family: Puffbirds
- White-whiskered Puffbird (Malacoptila panamensis)

Order: Hummingbirds and Swifts (1 record)
- Family: Swifts
- Vaux's Swift (Chaetura vauxi)

Order: Parrots (1 record)
- Family: New World Parrots
- Olive-throated Parakeet (Eupsittula nana)

Order: Perching Birds (3 records)
- Family: New World Warblers
- Louisiana Waterthrush (Parkesia motacilla)
- Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla)
- Family: Old World Buntings
- Blue-black Grassquit (Volatinia jacarina)

Order: Trogons (1 record)
- Family: Trogons
- Collared Trogon (Trogon collaris)

Lifelists

Trips

Mexico to Panama