Field Note – Echoes and Shadows in the Cave

Field Note – Echoes and Shadows in the Cave

Date: 2025/6/24
Location: Runaway Creek Nature Reserve, Belize

Today we returned to Runaway Creek, but instead of looking for monkeys, our task was to learn how to map out cave instrumentations—a new skill set for many of us. We were given a detailed cave map, and Dr. Wynne explained how such maps are usually created. Accuracy is crucial, especially when instrumenting for environmental monitoring or archaeological research.

Before entering the cave, something unexpected happened. Just before Dr. Wynne was about to check the location of the fer-der-lance in the cave, Kayla and Justin heard a sound coming from within, low, eerie noises, and at one point, something that sounded like a kitten crying. For a moment, we wondered if there might be a jaguar inside. The tension was real! But it turned out to be something much smaller (and less dangerous): motmot chicks. Later, we spotted the motmot parents perched quietly on branches just outside the cave entrance. Both of them have insects between their beak, ready to feed the chicks.

A motmot

Once inside, the air grew cooler and still. What struck me most were two Maya potteries s and a striking stalactite formation shaped like a bat. Under flashlight, the stalactite cast a shadow on the cave wall that looked even more like a giant bat. It immediately reminded me of the bat deity Camazotz from the Popol Vuh, the K’iche’ Maya creation story. Camazotz, a creature of the underworld, ruled the “House of Bats,” and encountering such imagery in a real cave—sacred space for the Maya—felt surreal. Dr. Wynne told us that Mayans were shorter than we are, so when they shined torches on the stalactites, they cast the "bat shadow" on the stone.

One of the pottery pieces was especially large, flipped upside down, and broken. Dr. Wynne told us that in Maya belief, vessels were often ritually “killed” to release the spirits or energies they held. It’s humbling to think that the object we were looking at may have played a role in ancient ceremonies centuries ago. Dr. Wynne also showed us an ancient altar that the Mayans built. As both an environmental studies and art history student, I am so excited about all these experiences.

This was one of the most thought-provoking days we’ve had so far—equal parts science, mystery, and mythology. And definitely one of the most memorable.