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Working with ProPetén in Guatemala Part 1 by Josh Paull

July 6, 2016

Today we went to explore the Actún Kan caves. These are the caves that we need to promote since the concession rights belong to ProPetén now.  I almost said that the caves themselves belong to ProPetén, but my friend Cinthya would never forgive me for saying that. As she reminded me when we traveled to La Libertad together last weekend, the caves around Guatemala carry special spiritual significance to the Q’eqchi Maya people, to whom they represent doorways from the corporeal world to the ethereal, and that’s why they still return to these caves to conduct ceremonies. 

In any case, my day was exhausting. We went with most of ProPetén’s staff as sort of a workday excursion, but this meant that the whole group was fighting over which direction I should point the high-powered flashlight that I brought. On top of this, I was the only one who was really working today as I had to keep close to the guide and trace out our position in a map that I drew up, and make sure that whichever formation we were looking at was consistent with what our position was in my hand drawn map. What was frustrating was that at several points, my coworkers tried to rush me so they could get to see the farther reaches of the cave, or direct my flashlight so they could take pictures as I was trying really hard to focus on keeping the map accurate. After all, if my map ended up being incorrect, the whole purpose for the visit to Actún Kan would have been for naught. 

Between those stresses, I realized quickly that I needed to overcome my claustrophobia as much of the trip was spent sliding between the narrowest of crevices. On the bright side, I didn’t encounter any tarantulas or centipedes when we were crawling through the mud, only a wealth of different bat species ducking between the stalactites. I definitely have a new appreciation for bats now. Whereas I used to try to avoid them, now I recognize them for their beauty and usefulness in their ecosystems, especially for the guano they provide. Luckily, none of that guano was falling on us from the cave’s rooftops. In any case, tomorrow we leave for our first trip to the countryside working on the cacao project.
The incorrect map at the cave’s entrance, I needed to trace out an entirely new map for a new sign.


The caves are loaded to the brim with bats and incredible formations!




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