Mexico Travel - Chichén Itzá
You don’t need to climb Chichén Itzá’s famous pyramid in Mexico to appreciate the accomplishments of the great Mayan civilization.
But it certainly helps. From high atop El Castillo, the ziggurat-style temple that dominates this archaeological site, the view of this once powerful Mayan capital is awe-inspiring. As far as the eye can see, stone ruins poke through the lush Yucatán jungle, teasing visitors with glimpses of ancient history. In a clearing below lay sacred temples guarded by thousands of stoic columns, a ball court and platforms where humans were sacrificed to bloodthirsty gods.
It’s all part of the marvel at Mexico’s most impressive ancient ruins. Nearly 800 years after Chichén Itzá was abandoned, the partly restored site has become a popular tourist draw for those visiting the Yucatán Peninsula.
Most come for the pyramid.
El Castillo, or the Pyramid of Kukulkán, is Chichén Itzá’s most awesome feature. The hulking stone mass stretches 25 meters into the sky - equal to a 10-storey building - with a small temple at its peak.
El Castillo was built over an earlier pyramid, dating to 800 AD.
An opening on El Castillo’s north face leads inside to an ascending staircase. Climbing this claustrophobic stairway is like crawling in the throat of a giant snake. Moist heat clings to the rough-hewn walls, the smooth stairs, and your skin, as you push upwards to an inner temple. A menacing red jaguar with gleaming green eyes greets those who dare to tread further. It’s actually a stone throne, encrusted with jade and bone, guarding a sacred chamber. A pensive-looking Chaac Mool, the Toltec-Mayan god who sits reclined cradling a sacrificial bowl, joins the jaguar.
El Castillo is more than a temple; it’s also a giant calendar. Each of the pyramid’s four stairways has 91 steps that, with the top platform, totals 365 - the days in a year. There are also other features built into this structure relating to the Mayan calendar.
The greatest testament to the Maya’s astronomical knowledge is an amazing illusion built into El Castillo. Twice yearly, during the spring and fall equinox, light and shadows create an illusion of an undulating snake slithering down the pyramid, ending at a fierce stone serpent’s head.
Chichén also has an observatory which was built around 900 AD - nearly seven centuries before Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei was born. The observatory is capped by a dome with slits in the walls to help Mayan astronomers plot the heavens.
The Mayans built these great structures, tracked the stars, wrote stories in hieroglyphics and used an astronomical calendar when Europe wallowed in the Dark Ages.
Historians believe the Mayans first settled here between 550 and 900 AD. Later, it’s believed Toltecs from central Mexico invaded the Yucatán in the 10thcentury and conquered Chichén Itzá, fusing their culture with the Maya.
The Toltecs introduced the Mayans to the cult of Kukulkan, or the feathered serpent known as Quetzalcoatl, and influenced art, architecture and religion. The Toltecs also elevated human sacrifices to new heights. If Chichén Itzá’s quarried stones could talk, they’d speak of conquests, violence and blood sacrifices.
The Platform of the Skulls has row upon row of skulls carved into the stone landing, marking where the Mayans displayed the heads of vanquished enemies. Another platform shows jaguars and eagles devouring human hearts.
The Principal Ball Court brings ancient meaning to blood sport. High upon each of the two walls of this rectangular courtyard is a vertical hoop. Two teams would try putting a rubber ball into the hoop without using hands or feet. The winning team lived. The losers didn’t.
Even the sacred cenote, a water-filled sinkhole north of El Castillo, had an ominous role. The Mayans threw virgins and children to a watery grave to appease Chaac, the water god.
Today, when you peer into the cenote’s murky green waters, you can feel the lingering spirits of Chaac’s victims staring back.
Getting to Chichen Itza, Mexico:
Chichén Itzá is a four-hour drive from Cancun. If you go, I recommend staying overnight in Piste, a town 1.5 kilometers from the ruins. Allow a full day to see the ruins and try to avoid exploring mid-day when it’s busiest and hottest. The site covers several kilometers, so good walking shoes and a hat are a must. Entrance fee is about US$5. The worthwhile evening sound and light show is US$5. (Prices are quoted at the time of the author’s visit.).
Author: Doug Alexander
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