Belize: Land of the Maya

By The Florida Hoosier

Visit Belize,Land of the Maya.A personal account of one's journey back in time to a land of mystery.The search for the site where the famous Mitchell-Hedges crystal skull was discovered led to a journey of self discovery and intrigue.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Florida Hoosier
• Release date: Nov 14, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466047693

The Florida Hoosier

Gary has been a photographer for over 20 years, specializing in nature,landscapes and event photography.Besides visiting most of the United States, he has traveled to such places as Egypt,the Canary Islands,much of the Caribbean, and having studied Mayan Cultures in Central America, and the Australian Aboriginal way of life, photography has given him the opportunity to observe life in many different cultures!I also have two more blogs you may enjoy:www.thefloridahoosier.comwww.manymanyworlds.com

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By The Florida Hoosier

Published by The Florida Hoosier

at Smashwords

Copyright 2011 The Florida Hooiser

Chapter 1

Belize City

Not being extremely fond of jungles and with visions of Voodoo dancing in my mind, my apprehension had been at a rather high level as I prepared to visit Belize. The journey had actually began the previous summer after spending a month in the outback of Australia.

Lynn Gardner and Helen Mitchell Hedges were displaying the crystal skull in Indianapolis the following week. Mitchell- Hedges , had discovered the skull while visiting Belize with her father in the 1920s when she was sixteen years old. She was on tour in the United States and at the meeting relayed an interesting story on how she came about finding the skull.

She told how they had searched in the jungle for the pyramid Lubaantun where the skull was reputed to be located. Upon discovering the pyramid, she being the smallest was elected to go down in the cavern in search of the treasure. Braving the hazards of entering an opening in the pyramid that possibly hadn’t been explored in centuries, she found the renowned skull and brought it to daylight for the first time in centuries.

Thus my journey into the ancient Maya land began, it all seemed very exciting and not knowing quite what to expect I began to make plans for the January expedition.

Looking out the window of the plane as it began it’s final approach into the Belize City airport I noticed a rather large cow grazing near the runway, this did nothing to dispel my anxiety about the approaching adventure. Luckily for us and the cow, she was more interested in eating the grass growing alongside the runway than becoming roadkill for an MD-80.

As I entered this jungle paradise, it felt as though I was entering another world, I definitely wasn’t in Kansas any longer. Stepping out of the plane, no jet way greeted us, it was down the steps and across the tarmac to the tiny airport.

The airport, a small cement block building, had none of the creature comforts that are associated with airports in the United States, the only creatures were several cats that had made their temporary homes in the airport. Customs and immigration consisted of two plywood