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.
In
Mexico, a mostly Catholic country, January 6th is a day celebrated
as “Día de los Reyes Magos”,
or Three Kings Day. It is the twelfth
day of Christmas and thereby recognized as the day that the three kings arrived
to see Baby Jesus and bring him gifts.
For this reason, many children in Mexico receive their Christmas gifts
when also on January 6th. 
Traditionally, families will also get together and enjoy a special ring
of sweet bread called a “Rosca de Reyes”.
This sweet bread is decorated with candied fruit and may be filled with
cream cheese. It also contains a few
white plastic baby figurines that are hidden inside. As you cut your slice of Rosca and eat it, you
may find a figurine in your piece. If
you do, you have the honor of holding a party during the first week of
February. In our case, we found three
figurines in our Rosca. The first was
found by Onkel Klaus, the second by Juliana, and the last by Mom. We will have to decide whether to hold the
party in Michigan or in Germany (or simply hold two at different times. 
