The natural habitat of Jeanne Gurnee is deep in the bowels of the earth, in hidden subterranean caverns created by ancient and mysterious formations. Her passion for caves has taken her to more than 30 countries, and many miles into the ground. On one expedition, to Guatemala's Alta Verpaz region in 1968, she descended several hundred feet into a limestone mountain to a site that had not seen visitors for 1,000 years. Using ropes and climbing equipment, she and her colleagues reached an area of rooms containing humans skeletons, pottery and altar hearths. The caves were discovered in 1974 and the state set about developing this natural treasure to make it accessible to tourists.
Access is through a large gap in a limestone foothill.
Visitors enter two galleries the size of football fields, the New York Times reported, where underground moisture creates a humidity level of 98 per cent. Some conservationists feel that we should not develop or change the natural condition of caves. But when a government decides to develop a wild cave for public visitation, it becomes a special task to develop the cave with as little effect on the environment as possible. The project brought together experts in restorative construction, modern computer control systems, architecture, lighting, speleology, electronics, exhibitry, and more. Special equipment was developed to monitor the temperature, humidity, and other factors of the underground in order to keep the cave healthy.