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| ~ Panoramic View of Chichen Itza {Click to Enlarge Photo! ~ |
The ruins of Chichén Itzá
lie about midway between Cancún and Mérida, so that the journey from each city takes around 2 or 3 hours via
the new autopista. It is possible to see the main structures on a day trip from Cancún,
and many tour buses do just this resulting in a large influx of visitors around 10-11am. Chichén
Itzá is the most visited site in the Yucatán and it can get very crowded here, so if at all possible try to arrive soon after
the 8am opening. This will give you time to climb the Pyramid of Kukulkán before it gets
too hot, and will allow you to view the whole site from the top before the crowds swarm in. Alternatively,
leave your visit until later in the day and stay overnight nearer the site, returning in the early morning. Ideally,
you will need two days for a good understanding of the site, which covers 4 square miles.
NOTE:
Admission charge to the ruins is around 75 pesos. The evening sound and light show
costs 35 pesos (add another 25 pesos for headphones if you want to listen to the commentary in English). The
show usually starts at around 8.00pm, but we'd suggest you reconfirm the time when you arrive. Your
ticket permits re-entry on the same day only.
At the entrance to the site
is a large visitors’ complex, with cafeterias, restrooms, bookshops and a small museum. There
are also models of the layout of the site. Note: there is a second refreshment
shop with toilet facilities by the cenote.
~ Brief History
of Chichén Itzá ~
Chichén Itzá has been widely studied,
and excavated and restored more than any of the other Mayan cities. Yet its history is
still clouded in mystery and there are many contradicting theories and legends.
It is clear that a large
Mayan community thrived here between around 700AD and 900AD, and built most of the structures in the southern
area. However, the main buildings in the central area, including the Pyramid of Kukulkán,
the Temple of the Warriors and the Ball Court, are Toltec in design and influence.
The Toltecs originated from Central
Mexico, and one respected theory suggests that the Toltecs invaded Chichén Itzá and imposed their architectural
style on new constructions. Alternatively, we know that the Maya traded extensively and
it is possible that they were influenced by the Toltecs in their own architecture. Another
more recent theory claims that Tula, capital of the Toltecs, was actually under the domination of the Maya, resulting in a
transfer of style from one city to another. There are fragments of evidence to support
each line of thought, but no conclusive evidence for any single theory.
Compounding the mystery are ancient
legends passed down through the Mayan tribes and also the Toltecs. According
to Toltec history, in 987AD the legendary ruler Quetzalcóatl was defeated and expelled from Tula. He
was last seen leaving from the Gulf coast on a raft of serpents. However, in the same year,
Mayan stories recorded the arrival of a king named Kukulkán, the Serpent God, whose return had been expected. Kukulkán defeated the Mayan city tribes, and made Chichén Itzá his capital.
~ The Pyramid of Kukulkán ~
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| ~ The Pyramid of Kukulkán: "El Castillo" ~ |
Towering
above the other buildings at 79 feet (24 m) high, the Pyramid of Kukulkán
has a structured feel about it. Two of its sides have been completely restored, the other
two were left to show the condition before work commenced. Each side had originally 91
steps, adding the platform at the top as a final step there are 365 in total one for every day of the year. Further evidence that this building was linked to the Mayan interests of astronomy and the calendar is
demonstrated at the spring and autumn equinox. On these days the shadow of the sun playing
on the stairs causes the illusion of a snake processing down the pyramid in the direction of the cenote. Naturally,
it’s an impressive sight, and there are usually thousands of people on the site at these times.
Note:
At the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun's shadow creates the illusion of a snake moving down the pyramid!
It’s quite a climb
to the top, but once you’re there you’ll have a terrific view of the rest of the ruins. The temple at the top of the pyramid has carvings of Chac, the rain god, and Quetzalcóatl, the serpent
god. As at Uxmal, this temple was built over the top of an original structure and at limited times of the day (check
at the entrance) you can enter the old temple via a passage under the northern stairway. Inside
you’ll see a sculpture of a jaguar, painted red and with jade eyes, exactly as it was discovered.
~ The Ball
Court (Juego de Pelota) ~
From the Pyramid of Kukulkán,
head north-east to the Great Ball Court, the largest of its kind in the Maya world.
There are eight other much smaller ball courts at Chichén Itzá and more in other Maya cities,
but this one was deliberately built on a much grander scale than any others. The length
of the playing field here is 40 feet (135 m) and two 25 feet (8 m) high walls run alongside the field.
The game itself involved two teams,
each able to hit the ball only with elbows, wrists or hips, and the object was to knock the ball through one of the stone
hoops on the walls of the court.
Look at the carvings on the lower
walls of the court and you will see that this was not a casual sport there are clear depictions of one team member
with blood spurting from his headless neck, whilst another holds the head aloft. Some people
think the captain of the losing side was executed by the winner; others suggest that the winners earned an honorable sacrifice.
No-one knows for sure. It is said that the game was used either as a method
of settling disputes, or as an offering to the gods, perhaps in times of drought. Only
the best were selected to play, and to be sacrificed in this way was a great honor.
Note:
Games in the Ball Court were used to settle disputes or as an offering to the gods. Many believe the losers were put
to death!
Imagine, then, the significance
of this giant court, where the goals are 20 feet (66 m) high and the court is longer than a football pitch.
The acoustics here are superb - a low voice at one end of the court can be heard clearly at the
other end and the atmosphere during a game must have been electrifying. It is said that
only the noblest could attend the court itself, the general population having to listen from outside.
Temple of the Jaguars / Tzompantli
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| ~ Platform of the Skulls (Skull Court) Click to Enlarge Photo ~ |
From the ball court, head
east across the central area towards the Group of the Thousand
columns. On the way, you will see the Temple
of the Jaguars with its friezes of the Toltec jaguar emblem, and the Tzompantli or Platform
of the skulls {photo above]. It is believed that the Tzompantli (a
Toltec word) was the platform used for the sacrifices resulting from the ball game.
~ Sacred Cenote of Chichén
Itzá ~
Before you reach the Group
of the Thousand Columns, you will see a pathway heading north, just by the Platform
of Venus. This is actually the route of an ancient sacbe, and leads
to the Sacred Cenote.
A cenote is a sinkhole in
the limestone bed, accessing an underwater river. These cenotes were very important
to the Mayans as their main source of water and had great religious significance. Here
you will see a deep almost circular hole with steep sides and murky green water beneath.
Note:
There are stories of sacrificial victims being thrown into the Cenote!
Along with many offerings
of treasure. In 1901 an American, Edward Thompson, bought the land around the
site and proceeded to dredge the cenote. He found jewelry, pottery, figurines and the bones
of many humans, mostly children. An international dispute arose when he shipped the findings
to the Peabody Museum at Harvard, where some still remain (the remainder have since been returned to the
Mexicans). The evidence, however, was inconclusive as it was feasible that children were
most likely to fall into the cenote during play rather than as a deliberate act of sacrifice.
Note:
A stroll to the cenote is a pleasant diversion from the ruins and makes an ideal refreshment stop there is a small café/shop
nearby and restrooms are available.
~ Group of the Thousand
Columns: ~
After visiting the cenote,
head back towards the Group of the Thousand Columns. This
complex incorporates the Temple of the Warriors and a series of columns, some of
which feature carvings of Toltec warriors. It is believed that the columns originally supported
a thatched roof which may have been used as a market place.
The temple itself displays
another aspect of Toltec architecture the use of ‘Atlantean figures’, or statues supporting the altar. Here the statues are of warriors, each with the appearance of a different racial type. It is unclear as to whether these designs were accidental or whether the Maya were really aware of the
diversity of the human race.
Look also for the large Chac
Mool sculpture, again a feature of Central Mexican rather than Yucatecan design. The
reclining figure holds a bowl, awaiting some sacrificial offering.
~ The Caracol
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From the central plaza,
take the path to the southern area of the ruins. This is thought to house the oldest constructions,
and is predominantly Mayan in design.
The Nunnery
(Edificio de las Monjas) and the Church (La Iglesia), both erroneously named by the Spanish,
are in relatively poor condition. Look for depictions in La Iglesia of the four bacabs;
these creatures (the crab, armadillo, snail and tortoise) were believed to be responsible
for holding up the heavens.
The most impressive structure is the
Caracol, named for its curved inner stairway reminiscent of a snail. Also known
as the Observatory, this tower was used for astronomy its windows were aligned with the four
cardinal directions and the position of the setting sun at the equinoxes.
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