Portal to Mayan Underworld Discovered in Mexico

Mexican archaeologists have discovered of a labyrinth of submerged caves believed to be a portal for dead souls to pass into the underworld.

The fourteen caves - many underwater - house stone temples and pyramids. In one, a 300-foot (90-meter) concrete road ends at a large stone column.

Human remains, statues of priests, columns and ceramics indicate a watery grave awaited the superstitious Mayans.

According to National Geographic, the Mayans believed “the souls of the dead had to follow a dog with night vision on a horrific and watery path and endure myriad challenges before they could rest in the afterlife.”

Some of those challenges included a tortuous journey through oozing blood, bats, and spiders before reaching Xibalba, the underworld.

Not only that, say scholars, but the live builders had to hold their breath to build the underwater temples.