Archaeology

One can hardly speak about Runaway Creek without mentioning the cave artifacts and paintings. Today we’re so accustomed to people and places fitting neatly into our set of expected norms. To see an ancient cave painting at Runaway Creek or one of the artifacts excavated in the caves less than 10 years ago reminds you of the past. It grounds you and puts your life in perspective in the same way as one of those impossibly star-filled nights are ingrained in our minds.

“I will never forget the first time I saw the paintings,” says Runaway Creek visitor Ted Durkee. “It was just one of those things that stops you in your tracks and holds on to you for the rest of the day.”

Runaway Creek is home to over 50 caves from which dozens of artifacts were discovered. These include large and small clay pots, ax heads, arrow heads, grinding stones, and various pottery shards. The real heart of the artifacts at Runaway Creek are the cave paintings. Runaway Creek is home to an extremely rare Mayan cave painting of a jaguar in red. Only nine caves have been discovered in Mesoamerica with cave paintings, and Runaway Creek holds the only painting of an animal so far discovered in Belize. The jaguar is also one of only two monochromatic Mayan paintings discovered to date.

According to Dr. Jaime Awe, director of the Belize Institute of Archaeology, the Runaway Creek jaguar cave painting indicates that a royal Mayan ceremony occurred between 100 to 900 A.D. The jaguar was considered to be a symbol of strength, and ceremonies were held in caves because they were believed to be the gateways to the underworld.