CHICHEN-ITZA

THE MOUTH OF THE WELL OF THE ITZAES

This Late Classic site is thought to have been settled between 550-900 AD, and then again in 1100AD.  It is after the resettlement of 1100AD that archaeologists believe Quetzalcoatl and his followers were exiled from the northern capital of Tula, and invaded Mayan inhabited Chichen Itza.

 

The Temple of Quetzalcoatl (El Castillo) stands nearly 25 meters tall, and was originally constructed before 800AD.  After the Toltec invasion, Toltec "plumbed serpent" motifs were carved onto the stairways and Toltec warriors were added to the frescoes at the top doors.   

 

 Each side of the pyramid has 9 levels, divided by centric staircases which creates 18 on each side.  This represents the 18-20 day months of the Vague year.  The four staircases have 91 stairs, which totals 364.  By adding the top level, there is a step for each day of the year.  Each facade boasts 52 panels, which represent the Calendar-Round.  (The Mayans commemorated 52 years much like we pay attention to 100.)

The north side staircase has a serpent head at the base, and on the Spring and Fall equinox the entire pyramid falls into shadow with the exception of the edge of this particular staircase.  This is said to be Kukulkan descending and ascending the earth.  Inside the pyramid is an inner north-side staircase that leads up to a chamber inside the temple.  When we were there in 1996, this jaguar was there with a chac-muul altar. 

This was taken inside the top temple of the pyramid in 1996.  In 2006 after a woman fell to her death, the pyramid was closed for climbing.  The staircase leading to the inner chamber is also closed.  Many visitors are put-off by this, however it makes sense to think that thousands of people climbing these temples every year would cause substantial structural damage.  If you're keen on climbing a pyramid, head for Coba.  The architecture is nowhere near as interesting as Chichen Itza, but as it is set in the jungle, it's still exciting to visit.

El Caracol is the star observatory.  The Spanish named it the Conch Snail due to a spiral staircase inside.  Archaeologists believe the foundation of the structure was built by the Maya, but that the observatory itself is of Toltec construction.

There are few round structures found in the Mayan world.  Mayapan has a similar structure which may have been a copy of this observatory, but since the sacking of Mayapan, less reconstructive work has been done there than at Chichen Itza.  There was a round structure discovered at Uxmal, but archaeologists are still unclear as to what it was for.  I also know El Ceibal in Guatemala (near Sayaxche) has a round structure.  Most cities have something unique about them, but Chichen Itza has many features that make it a fascinating site to explore.

This structure is called the Nunnery, and thought to be where Mayan priests and priestesses lived, as it's a large "convent-like" structure with many rooms. 

La Iglesia, or "The Church" was named by the Spanish, likely because it is situated next to the Nunnery.  The rectangular construction of this building is Puuc, but the stone mosaic veneer and roof comb is of Chenes making.  The Chenes are famed for their intricate stone-work, as the pieces were all pieced together into incredible motifs of animals and gods, and stay together without the use of mortar.  These buildings are why I always recommend visitors make the effort to come to Chichen Itza, if they aren't going to make it inland to see Uxmal.  I think both sites are important to see, if in the Yucatan - but fewer people ever make it to Uxmal because of it's location in the Puuc Hills.

Unlike La Iglesia, the Nunnery Annexe has Chenes veneer on the lower portion of the building, as well as at the upper portion.  What amazed us was that though Chichen Itza was crawling with tourists and vendors, we only saw one couple when we were out in this area, and we were out here for at least half an hour.  They were from Chile, so we took turns exchanging cameras for photographs.  Chichen Itza is a large site, and the horrendous afternoon sun is exhausting.  We purchased 2 litres of water each, which were partially frozen - and within about ten minutes, the ice and melted and my water was getting warm.  Despite drinking fluids all morning, and then 2 litres while we were here, neither of us required the restrooms.  That's gotta tell you something about the heat, and the importance of staying hydrated. 

The Great Ball Court

If you compare the size of this court to the ones at Uxmal and Coba, you'll be amazed by how different they are.  There are also two smaller courts at Chichen (located next to the Temple of a Thousand Warriors, where there is also a sweat bath.)  Archaeologists theorize that the smaller courts were built for fewer players, but that this court was built for larger teams.  They also suspect that human sacrifice may not have been practiced in smaller ball games, but are certain the losing team from this court was beheaded, due to the frescos on the walls here.  Unlike Uxmal and Coba's courts, which have low slanted walls and lower hoops with larger holes - archaeologists believe that playing the ball game in this court would have been much more difficult.  The building at the end of the court is called the Temple of the Bearded Man, which has a battle-scene carved into the inside walls.

  I cannot imagine what it must have been like to live in a city where the center of town had a platform for displaying the dead.  This is the Tzompantli, built by the Toltecs, for this purpose.

In 1904, Edward Thompson had "Cenote Sagrado" or "Sacred Cenote" dredged.  Eventually, he and another man rigged up outfits to dive into the murkey waters of the cenote, and this was when they discovered gold, jade, obsidian knives - and human skeletons.  In the 1960's, National Geographic and CEDAM further explored the cenote.  It is believed that the human remains belonged to those who were selected as sacrifical victims for rain.

Chichen Itza gets mixed reviews, and many on Trip Advisor say it isn't worth visiting due to the crowds and invasive sales people.  Some enthusiasts are put out by the fact they can no longer climb El Castillo - as if there's some conspiracy by UNESCO to destroy their sense of adventure.  On the other hand, if one were to consider the thousands of visitors climbing on these temples, year by year, it could be argued that by keeping tourists off of these structures, they will last longer.  (Not only that, but I'm sure the tragic death of a visitor had a lot of influence in ending the climbing of El Castillo to the public.)

If you want to visit Chichen Itza, my best advice is to rent a car and drive to Piste the day before your visit.  There is an overpriced hotel right outside of the site, or the Dolores Alba on the old highway coming in from Valladolid.  This gives you the opportunity to see the lazor light show in the evening.  (Save your ticket, as you can use it the next day to get into the park.)  

Wake up early and arrive at the gates for opening.  Not only will you be there hours before the tour buses arrive with hoards of tourists, you'll also have the luxury of exploring Chichen Itza in the cool of the morning, as opposed to the high afternoon sun.  Visit El Castillo, Great Ball Court, Cenote Sagrado, Temple of a Thousand Warriors, sweat baths and El Caracol first - as these tend to be the busiest when the tours arrive.  Save the older parts of Chichen (Nunnery) for later, as fewer tourists head out that way anyway.

 

The other blessing in arriving early is that you will be spared the invasive vendors who will literally harass visitors when it gets busy.  See the little girl?  In the space of 15 minutes, she had tapped me on the arm at least 9 times, trying to sell me the same item.  She was so small and beautiful, but I knew that if I opened my purse, I would be surrounded by all the other children in the vicinity, (and there were lots of them) who were also selling goods.  Some tourists snapped, and started yelling at the kids to get away, and I had to take a lot of deep breaths to stop myself from losing it.  It's awful to scream at a child who doesn't understand what harassment is.  They are sent out there by their parents to make as many sales as they can, but even the most patient of human beings can only stand having their skirt tugged on so many times in a short space of time (by the same child) before they're on the verge of snapping.  The managers of Chichen Itza really need to address this issue, as it is unfair for paying visitors, and if visitors feel harassed, they aren't going to support the vendors inside the park.  It's a lose/lose situation for everyone.

In 1996, the markets (like this one) were set up between El Castillo and El Caracol - two structures that every tourist wants to see.  As the vendors knew everyone would walk by them at some point in the middle of their explorations, there were no children running up to tourists with items to sell.  We bought a lot of stuff at the market in 1996, and it was in the perfect place, because having been out to the Cenote, and seen El Castillo, we were ready to hang out in the shade, drink some water and have a nice little break.  The market in 1996 was full of people.  As you can see, this market in 2006 is empty.

By 2006, the market was right at the entrance of Chichen Itza.  Everyone coming through the gates is eager to get to the site, and by the time they've spent hours exploring in the sun, they are either too exhausted to shop at the market (and want to get back into the gate area for cold drinks), or are frustrated by how many children repeatedly tugged on their skirts while they were trying to enjoy the temples.  We decided that we would go the market that is set up outside of the gates, because we felt that if we shopped at this market, we would send a message to these vendors that having children running around the site with goods is okay.  Again - I truly believe in supporting locals, and would never yell at a child - but this situation is not appropriate for a Unesco site, especially since it was added to the list of World Mystery's in 2007.  Uxmal, Dzibilchaltun, Tulum and Coba do not have vendors in the park - the least they could do here is relocate the market back to where it was in 1996, so everyone can be happy.

Piste is quite a neat little town.  In 2007, when Chichen Itza officialy became a world mystery, it was decided that the municiple government would receive a portion of entry sales for the Unesco site.