Chiche'n Itza'

This was the big one. Newly designated as one of the existing wonders of the world. A few words of advice to follow. It is Really HOT ! And there are thousands of people. If we go again, which we very well may, it will be during a relatively cool season and early in the morning, before the hundreds of tourist buses arrive.

Here is our guide, Paul, and his Mayan assistant, Raul. They are doling-out ice water to help keep our group hydrated. Paul related that this was the season (winter/spring) that the Maya did their temple building. In the summer/fall they farmed and gathered food.

A little background.... The name comes from three words Chi (mouth), chen (well), and Itza (name of the local Mayan tribe). It means the mouth of the well of the Itza. So it is centered about a cenote into the underground river below. It was the center for teaching of philosophy, science, and art. Each building has a function related to teaching those subjects with the result better and learned human beings. Possibly for teaching priests of their religion. The city has two parts - the old city of pure Mayan background, and the newer city, reflecting a fusion of Mayan and Olmec influences.

Below is a "before and after" picture of the pyramid of Kukulcan.

Crude devices such as this were initially used for excavation.

The best known landmark is the Pyramid of Kukulcan. It is actually a huge lunar and solar calendar. At the equinox, the serpent of light is apparent on the edge, is sliding along the stairs.

Part of the main ball court. Being much larger than that at the game is played with six participants on each side.


You can see from this angle and size of the people that it is huge! It is estimated that there are actually 150 ball courts in the Chichen Itza area.

Effigy of Chac Mol (God of Divine fire) and serpent heads which are primary to their religion. Serpents represented the product of the earth in their naturalistic religion. But the Spanish interpreted them as "devil worship" and did all they could to eradicate and suppress the religion.

Skull wall in the Tzompantli Temple. Crude interpretations are that they represent the heads of losers to the ball game. Another interpretation is that the enhanced eyes represent the "superior sight" of initiates to the priesthood. The crowds seem to like the blood thirsty interpretation better.



Part of the Temple of Venus with ornate inscriptions.



Main building of the Temple of Warriors.

Part of hundreds of columns in the Temple of Warriors. Each column represents a Quetzalcaan or priest who has reached the highest level of knowledge.

The Caracol (astronomical observatory). There are a series of windows inside of the observatory aligned to specific celestial bodies.

The Monastery. A nice building where the teaching masters were thought to live. The symbol above the door is of a Quetzalcaan master.

A Mayan vendor posing with Mimi. She was one of hundreds of vendors on the grounds. A definite drawback to the splendor of the complex.

The bottle dance. A very nice way to wind up a long, hot day!

Looking back on this tour, I don't feel that we gave it enough attention. We were becoming fatigued with ruins, and it was hot and crowded. I would definitely like to return under better circumstances and do more than just "scratch the surface" of Chichen Itza, since it represents the center of their civilization.