The Crown Jewel of the Yucatan: Chichén Itzá

Heralded as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World, Chichén Itzá is probably the most well-known and most widely visited Mayan site on the Yucatan peninsula. 

Chichén Itzá is truly a marvelous archaeological site, but precisely because it is so well visited (read: crowded and hot!) you should plan your visit with great care to get the most out of it.  Based on our lessons learned from previous visits to the site, we timed our visit for New Year’s Day, first thing in the morning!  This required some sacrifice from those who had stayed up late the night before, but the advantages were tremendous!!  We breezed through ticket and entry lines and walked past numerous vendor stands that were still closed.  The sun was up and the sky was blue, but the typical Yucatan heat was not yet in effect!  (We will use this strategy again, if we return for a future visit!)  We started by visiting all the big and famous sites and then continued to the less visited sites on the perimeter, as the crowds began to arrive.

Our first stop was El Castillo, also known as Temple of Kukulcán.  This fantastic four sided pyramid is a testament to the Mayan prowess in mathematics, astronomy, and engineering architecture.  The pyramid has exactly 91 steps on each side and one in more on the top platform, totaling 365 steps; one for each day of the year.  The pyramid is also located in such a way that the shadows display in different and important ways throughout the calendar year.  Most famously, on the equinoxes you can see the zig-zag shadow of the corner steps reflect against north staircase; the one which ends in the head of a giant serpent at the base.  This is in homage to the temple’s namesake, Kukulcán, the feathered serpent whose importance and influence can see seen prominently throughout the site.  The emphasis on Kukulcán is believed to have been brought to the area through the Toltec influence, who came to the region from central Mexico, where the Aztecs revered Quetzalcoatl, the feathered serpent.  (See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quetzalcoatl)

After El Castillo, our next stop was the Great Ball Court, which is the largest in Mesoamerica.  The ball game was played by teams attempting to get a large rubber ball through the hoops.  The ball is believed to have weighed about 12 pounds and players were allowed to hit it with their elbows, wrists, and hips (using other parts of the body would have resulted in a loss in points).  The game would have lasted for hours, potentially even days.  Based on the relief art along the walls, it is assumed that some participants would have been sacrificed at the conclusion of the game, though there is still disagreement among the experts, whether it would have been the winners (as a great honor) or losers of the game.  It is also debated whether it would have been an entire team or just the captain.  In reality, there is a good chance that practices would have varied from city to city, and over the centuries during which the game was played.

Between the Great Ball Court and El Castillo, there are several smaller platforms that are presumed to have been used for a variety of ceremonial purposes.  A variety of relief carvings are along the facades, including warrior scenes as well as a wall of skulls from the period when the Toltecs are believed to have had a presence in Chichén Itzá.

Outside of the main plaza, we walked downold Mayan roads and past the smaller pyramid of Osario (Tomb of the High Priest) and various other smaller buildings and ball courts believed to have been used for other purposes as part of day to day life.  Eventually we arrived at El Caracol (the Snail Shell), which is also known as the Observatory.  It was used by the ancient Mayan astronomers to track the path of the moon and Venus.  The ancient astronomers also used their skills to track and predict other celestial events, such as lunar and solar eclipses.

  

Just past the Observatory, we arrived at the Nunnery (named this way by the Spanish, and not necessarily an indication of its purpose) and the Temple of Reliefs.  These buildings were impressive in scale and detail, especially since they have only been minimally restored.  The reliefs included Chaac masks, which are not seen in the Great Plaza, and are believed to pre-date the introduction of Kukulcán to the area.

Our final stops on site included Akab Dzib, a very simple building compared to the others, believed to have been used as living quarters.  We also stopped at one of the two cenotes on site, the Xtoloc Cenote, which was believed to have been used as a source of water for cooking and day to day life.  (The other cenote was believed to have been used for ceremonial purposes.)

On our way out of the site, we stopped to chat with one of the local vendors who took the time to explain to us, how he carved his masks for sale and how he used a wide variety of flower types to naturally color the wood.  He also taught us a few key Mayan phrases and explained the many months of the Mayan calendar.  It was a long day, and we departed with feet which were dusty and tired, but many memories for the years to come.