A group of tourists exiting the Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Cave in the Central American nation of Belize was surprised on Wednesday to see a large aircraft hovering over the entrance. Described as circular with a band of pulsating lights, the aircraft remained poised over the cave's entrance long enough for one tourist, Bill McKay of Lewiston, TX, to record a short videoclip which has received over 2.3 million views on YouTube.
Actun Tunichil Cave, locally known as the ATM Cave, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Belize. Located in the western Cayo District of Belize, the cave was once the site of religious sacrifices performed during the Classical Maya period. Rita Lindsay of Atlanta, a member of the tour group that spotted the mysterious aircraft, told journalists, "Maybe the aliens know something that the Mayans did too, which is why they came across the galaxy to see the cave."
One Belizean guide who regularly conducts tours of the ATM cave spoke to reporters but requested that his name not be used. "This isn't the first time that a UFO has been spotted outside the ATM Cave. In 2008, some visiting nuns from the Mexican state of Chiapas reported seeing a large, cigar-shaped object hovering in the sky above the cave entrance." Questioned about Wednesday's sighting and the video posted on YouTube, the guide refused to elaborate further, saying only cryptically that "Many tourists overindulge in our local rum and beer, if you know what I mean."
The ATM Cave is located just a few kilometers from the Maya ruins of Cahal Pech. Believed to have been constructed as a hilltop palatial estate for Mayan elites, modern archeologists have deciphered glyphs on the central temple that describe strange celestial objects visiting the area in the years 687 and 712 A.D. During the Spanish colonial period, Father Miguel Chiste recorded appearances in his diary of "flying faerie lights that dance and frolic above the hills" of Cahal Pech.
Inquiries to Bill McKay, the American tourist who posted the videoclip of the alleged UFO, have gone unanswered, and all of his social media accounts have since been deleted.
Happy April First, everybody! From your friends at Cahal Pech Village Resort.
