Spanish records report that young female victims were thrown into the largest of these, live, as sacrifices to the Maya rain god thought to live in its depths.
HOW TO SEE THE ECLIPSE OF CHICHEN ITZA SERIES
This great city’s only permanent water source was a series of sinkhole wells. The Maya’s astronomical skills were so advanced they could even predict solar eclipses, and an impressive and sophisticated observatory structure remains on the site today. As the sun sets, this shadowy snake descends the steps to eventually join a stone serpent head at the base of the great staircase up the pyramid’s side. Incredibly, twice a year on the spring and autumn equinoxes, a shadow falls on the pyramid in the shape of a serpent. Each of the temple’s four sides has 91 steps, and the top platform makes the 365th.ĭevising a 365-day calendar was just one feat of Maya science. The temple has 365 steps-one for each day of the year. This glorious step pyramid demonstrates the accuracy and importance of Maya astronomy-and the heavy influence of the Toltecs, who invaded around 1000 and precipitated a merger of the two cultural traditions. The most recognisable structure here is the Temple of Kukulkan, also known as El Castillo. Viewed as a whole, the incredible complex reveals much about the Maya and Toltec vision of the universe-which was intimately tied to what was visible in the dark night skies of the Yucatán Peninsula. The stepped pyramids, temples, columned arcades, and other stone structures of Chichén Itzá were sacred to the Maya and a sophisticated urban center of their empire from A.D. Walk farther to see the Observatory, a building aligned with the planets that, according to guides, acted as a sort of Farmer’s Almanac to predict rainy seasons, weather cycles, eclipses and so on.Reason: The brilliant ruins of Chichén Itzá evidence a dazzling ancient city that once centered the Maya empire in Central America. Celebrants would place sacrificial offerings to the gods on its stomach. Beside it is a Chacmool figure, reclining casually on its elbows. On the Platform of Venus, you can still see traces of the brilliant paint that once covered all the buildings. Nearby, look for the Cemetery, whose walls are covered with eerie skull carvings that look trendy today. Your guide can point out carvings that depict everything from the protective gear worn by players to the game’s dramatic close: the ritual decapitation of the captain, possibly the winning team’s. Chichén Itzá’s Great Ball Court, the largest of nine courts built here, was used for a bruising sort of field hockey played for the benefit of the gods. Intriguingly, new pyramids were built atop old ones, so inside El Castillo is a series of smaller buildings that have yet to be explored.
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Some of the structures here may date back to the 5th century. Details like these help bring the ruins to life the easiest way to learn them is by hiring a guide. Add the platform and you have a step for each day of the solar year. Staircases with 91 steps climb each of the pyramid’s four sides, making for a total of 364 steps. Your first glimpse of these ancient Mayan ruins is El Castillo (“the Castle”), a beautifully proportioned 80-foot-high pyramid that is the city’s centerpiece. Just two hours west of Cancún’s crowds sits one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World.” But even before making the final seven in a 2007 poll, Chichén Itzá (pronounced chee- chen eet- zah) was a wonder. There’s one for archeology buffs, one for history lovers and one for island fans. These three getaways are all within easy reach, whether you’re staying in Cancún or anywhere on the Riviera Maya. A quick day trip might be just the ticket.
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But let’s say that, after a few days of margaritas and beach time, you’re a little antsy.