Writing these lines, not only did I travel the thousands of kilometers once again, but it also felt like I traveled many years back in time, reaching one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, Chichen Itza, also known as the City of the Mayans!
Chichen Itza, translated as “the well of the Itza tribe,” is an ancient city of the Maya, and later the Toltecs, who, after conquering it, made it their capital. It is located in distant Mexico, on the Yucatán Peninsula, where some of the largest and most beautiful Caribbean resorts—Cancun and Riviera Maya—are found, along with many archaeological complexes related to the history and culture of the Maya.
Our visit was organized with a group of other tourists. There are various ways to visit this site – by car, bus, or through an organized tour, as we did.
Here you can check the options for an organized tour to Chichen Itza, which also includes visits to other interesting places:
Our package included not only transportation to the site but also stories from a local guide, as well as refreshing drinks and umbrellas during the visit to the complex. And believe me, you will really need the umbrella because the heat and humidity are indescribable, and shaded areas are few, and even where there is shade, it still doesn’t help much.
So, let’s start our journey through this ancient and majestic place!
Upon entering the complex, the first thing you see is a massive pyramid. This may be one of the most famous structures in the complex, also known as the Temple of Kukulcan (El Templo de Kukulcan) – named by the Spanish conquistadors El Castillo, which means “the castle”. This imposing structure was built to honor the supreme leader Topilcin Quetzalcoatl – Kukulcan, also known as the God-Man. In the Mayan language, Kukulcan translates to “feathered serpent”. Don’t be surprised that the most commonly seen image here, among the ornaments, is the snake, which was a sacred animal for the Mayans.
It can boldly be stated that the purpose behind the creation of this complex is quite fascinating, and undoubtedly, the end result is impressive and magnificent. Chichen Itza is a living testament to how knowledge means power. And power lies with those who hold the knowledge! This was the case with the higher class in Mayan society, who possessed knowledge of astronomy and time, and they made good use of it. With forecasts for the equinoxes, solstices, lunar and solar eclipses, as well as natural events, they were able to maintain control over society. The lower classes, who were less educated, were left with the belief that the priests communicated with the gods and prayed to ensure a better life. From their side, the priests claimed that to achieve a better life, sacrifices had to be made to the gods, and new, larger, and more beautiful temples had to be built. It is interesting how all of this has parallels even today and is found in other ancient religions and peoples.
Given the time in which these pyramids were designed and built, we cannot help but be amazed by the capabilities and engineering minds of the Mayans. An interesting fact is that when you’re near the pyramid and make sounds or clap your hands, the echo of the sound is normal. However, if these actions are done on the pyramid’s stairs, the echo transforms into the sound of bird wings spreading. It is believed that the ancient Mayans used this sound to call the ancient and sacred bird quetzal, which symbolized the upper world, and by clapping, they invoked it to carry the soul of the deceased to the afterlife. Another intriguing fact is that according to some ancient writings, the sound of clapping hands resembled the sound of a thundering snake! Don’t worry, there are no such snakes there—or at least, I didn’t see any! And let’s not forget that the snake was also a symbol of the Mayan underworld.
While walking through Chichen Itza, you can’t miss the “Wall of Skulls” (El Tzompantli). You will see skulls displayed, depicting sacrificial ceremonies, where eagles tear human flesh and ancient warriors ready to attack with various weapons. Overall, the complex is filled with many temples, walls with paintings, and much more, but I really want to tell you about two of them—the ballcourt and the observatory.
Ball games have existed for centuries, and in its time, pelota was a very popular game. Two teams would play, and the losing team was sacrificed to Kukulkan. The walls of the court had rings where the rubber ball had to be thrown through. The ball could only be hit with the elbow, shoulder, thigh, or knee. To win the game, the ball had to be passed through the ring 13 times. There are reports that such a rubber ball was about the size of a handball.
What impressed me the most was definitely the Observatory (Observatorio or El Caracol). The interesting shape of the building resembles a snail’s shell, and El Caracol translates to just that. I assume the building was named this way because of the spiral-shaped internal stairs, drawing an analogy with a snail. 😊
On the dome itself, there are quite a few openings, and it is believed that they were used for star observation and making predictions reflected in their calendar. Another theory about why it’s called the “observatory.” The shape of the building was inspired by NASA when they began designing their own observatories.
At the observatory, you can also see the unique Mayan calendar! The legendary Mayan calendar is a unique system for measuring time. As mentioned earlier, during their peak, the Mayans possessed an incredible culture and scientific knowledge in the fields of astronomy and mathematics. It was used both in pre-Columbian Central America and by other Central American peoples such as the Aztecs, Toltecs, and others.
You might be wondering, what exactly is the Mayan calendar? It is a system of calendars, originally using two interlocking wheels to count the days in the year, and to complete one full cycle, they had to count 260 days. This calendar was called Tzolk’in, and the Mayans regarded it as a “sacred” calendar. Later, a third wheel was added, which slowed down the cycle, making the year 365 days long. This new 365-day calendar became known as the “Haab” or lunar calendar and was very similar to the Gregorian calendar. In both calendars, the day was called kin, the month was called winal, and it consisted of 20 kins. The year, tun, consisted of 18 winals.
Describing the experience of this place is difficult – as soon as you enter the archaeological site, you literally get a big heat slap, your eyes can’t get enough of these majestic structures, and as you listen to the stories of the Mayans, you literally wish to be transported to that distant time… and hope that if you were there, you wouldn’t be offered as a sacrifice to the gods!
