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Mad Science

Miles in Mictlan

added by Alphagor 2 years ago O

Miles was not a foolhardy fellow. In fact, most people say he's quite methodical in his work. As such, he wasn't going to try and explore a whole cave system in one try. The reason it had taken so long for his footage to be viewed was that he was busy both recording and compiling it.

Miles wasn't claustrophobic, but he also wasn't at ease with going through an unknown cave. He was a jackrabbit, which is actually a type of hare. And hares don't live underground like rabbits do. Miles made several preparations for his spelunking trips. First of all, he kept a large roll of string on his person. Like Theseus in the labyrinth, Miles could follow the string back to the entrance of the cave as he let it unravel as he went. He also had a miner's hat with a headlamp and slots for his long ears. And he also brought several candles and a lighter. They weren't for just in case his headlamp went out. At every fork in the tunnels, he would set a candle at the beginning of one fork and light it. As such, it was easy for him to tell if he had looped around or be able to continue on from where he left off the other day.

While this cave system isn't nearly as long or massive as, say, the Mammoth Cave, it was more extensive than it may first appear. It didn't branch as much as other caves, but there were nine distinct sublevels to it. The number was not insignificant as the same number of levels in Mictlan, the Aztec afterlife.

"It's hard to say if this cave is the inspiration behind the Aztec underworld or they simply see it as a representation. In either case, the Mesopotamians who found this place definitely considered it a part of the underworld," said Miles in his video, "Evidence of burial sites have been found in here, including artifacts. This cave has been well-preserved for centuries as few graverobbers have ever made it down too far. Why? The answer is on Level 5."

"The Fifth Level of Mictlan is Pancuecuetlacayan. Don't try to say it fast. This realm is supposed to be decorated with flags made with the skin of sacrifice victims who continue to whisper as they flap in the wind. Which is pretty creepy enough on its own. But on this sublevel of the cave, the rock formation has enough holes in it to make a whispering sound as air moves across them. Certainly enough to drive away any thief who managed to make this far down. From this point onward, the cave is pretty much in pristine condition. Of course, we're going to try to keep this way as this is a major archeological find and heritage site.

"And for anyone who's wondering if anything actually lives down here, I can definitely say that bats live here. Bats don't live too far into caves as they still need to go outside to find food. But you can definitely tell where they spend most of their time. The guano here is...well, I can definitely say that Animalians with strong noses would not want to go too far into this cave.

"So anyways, if you aren't afraid of the dark, this would make an interesting place to see during your stay at Vilcabamba. But please only enter the cave with a guide. Not just to keep you from getting lost, but to make sure nothing historical is broken or stolen. This cave has been kept the same for centuries. Let's try to keep that way longer."


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