Mexico – Chichén Itzá, a mysterious snake and pizza

Today we invite you to a unique place that is on the list of the new wonders of the world – Chichén Itzá, as it is referred to, has revealed secrets we had no idea about. Would you like to meet them?

The pyramids in Mexico have always been on our dream list, and since dreams must be fulfilled we decided to go to Chichén Itzá during our short stay on the Yucatán peninsula.

Despite the dream and the opportunity to see a new wonder of the world that is almost at hand, we had, as always, some doubts about the trip itself and considered various options for a long time. We were mainly concerned about the long bus trip with an almost two-year-old who won’t sit still for five minutes. We were worried about an organized tour, with a tight schedule and a group of strangers who would not necessarily be understanding of a family with a child. In the end, we were also concerned about the intensity of the experience and the weather, which gave us a hard time in Tulum.

However, somehow these fears were overcome or minimized. We chose a tour option that included a visit to Chichén Itzá, the cenote and the town of Valladolid. As with the trip to Tulum, this time too we relied on a local (or more accurately, hotel) tour operator.We took the more comfortable option, with meals and drinks.

Getting to Chichén Itzá

The road from the hotel took us almost 2.5 hours by bus. On the way we had a change of parking lot at the Xel-Ha amusement park. The logistics work as follows: buses collect participants from various hotels, who then, at the Xel-Ha parking lot, change buses depending on the direction and variant of the tour. We waited almost 30 minutes for the bus to Chichén Itzá to fill up.

Fortunately, the time on the trip passed quite quickly, and Olive simply slept most of the way. The time when she was awake was spent watching the world through the bus windows, reading books and talking and playing with fellow passengers. It was incredibly friendly.

Just like on the way to Tulum, this time too, the time in the bus was used to introduce us to Mayan culture and history (although it should be mentioned that Chichén Itzá is also Toltec), and since there was a lot more of that time, we even had the opportunity to learn the Mayan number system! For those interested, we recommend reading about the system based on 20s (as opposed to ours based on tens).

While driving, we also kept a close eye on the areas and buildings we passed. We were immediately struck by the poverty and condition of the huts (because often houses could not be called that), which left much to be desired. Structures that look as if they were going to be torn down by any gust, rakes in backyards, emaciated animals. Every few farms, houses appeared with hanging dream catchers, hammocks and various, lacy wares with the signature ‘Hand Made/Handcraft’. Surprisingly, they were located far from bus stops, hotels, tourist attractions, and not a living soul could be seen inside. Are the main buyers local residents or tourists who travel by car? It’s hard for us to tell, but the guide tried to convince us that the residents of the area lead quite a prosperous life. They do not pay rent or electricity, and they have water in abundance. In a word, they are self-sufficient, but the problem begins when they want to send their children to college, for which, of course, they have to pay. In order to do this, they need to raise extra funds, and the way to do this is to sell their own products.

Sightseeing in Chichén Itzá

When we arrived at the site we were surprised to find that, unlike in Tulum, here we did not have a plethora of stores and stands with goodies and souvenirs waiting for us. Until then :) Initially, there were just a few of them around a small courtyard. The situation changed after crossing the gates, when it became clear that dozens if not hundreds of stalls were dotted around the main paths throughout the area. We were surprised that in the enclosed area of the archaeological park it is allowed for so many vendors to offer their products, especially since most of them were not actually local products.

Chichén Itzá is a large forested, area with many ruins that served various functions in their heyday. We toured the site with a guide who told many interesting facts, pointed out various details and described how the buildings were built. We left the pyramid itself for last, and took our first steps to the buildings in the southern part: Casa Colorada, Casa del Venado and the astronomical observatory (El Caracol). The observatory has an unusual shape for Mayan architecture – the tower is built on a circular shape. It was here that we could once again hear about the astronomical discoveries of the Maya.

In the second part, we circled for a longer space between the Pyramid of Kukulcán, known as the castle (Pirámide de Kukulcán, El Castillo), the Temple of the Warriors (Templo de los Guerreros), the Venus Platform (Plataforma de Venus) and the Gran Juego de Pelota. Unfortunately, by that time, many groups of visitors had already arrived in Chichén Itzá, as our photos perfectly illustrate. We were under the impression that many people only reach this place and return to the parking lot, because the road to the further buildings was less crowded all the time, so even with a stroller we could move around without a problem.

The next item on the tour agenda was free time. And here a big plus, because there was plenty of time – about an hour. Assuming that we had in fact already seen everything, we could safely spend this time on additional shots or simply relaxing on the grass, almost at the foot of the pyramid. It can also be used to explore ruins covered with moss and vegetation that hide from the sight of tourists.

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And the conditions for a siesta were ideal. We were luckier this time, as the temperature was more bearable, and thanks to the slight overcast, we were not constantly searching longingly for shade.

For practical information: you can walk freely on the grounds, but you can’t climb the pyramids, although until a few years ago this was allowed. Apparently, there are information placards at the various sites, but for us the knowledge imparted by the guide was of much greater value.

Pirámide de Kukulcán, or El Castillo

El Castillo, or the castle, is a pyramid built of stone blocks and dedicated to the god Kukulcan, perhaps the most popular pyramid on the Yucatán peninsula. Although it appears very simple in construction, it is full of astronomical symbolism and numbers that are no coincidence. Interestingly, it is built on a cenote, or natural karst well.

To be honest, when we stood at the foot of the pyramid we both found that it seemed bigger in the photos. Fact, it is 24 meters high and you have to climb many steep stairs to get to the top. Unfortunately, to actually get in, you have to work on the local archaeological sites.

In total, there are 365 of these stairs (the sum of all the stairs on the four sections, 91 on each plus the platform at the top). Sound familiar? Yes, it’s no coincidence that the sum of the stairs equals the number of days in a year.

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The pyramid is built of 9 terraces that take part in an interesting phenomenon, but to describe it we must return for a moment to the god Kukulkan, who is depicted as the Feathered Serpent. We will also find a reference to this fact here, and of course it is related to astronomy. As in Tulum, magic happens in Chichén Itzá on the day of the spring and autumn equinoxes. Well, then, the sun casting a shadow from the terraces to the stairs creates a shadow in the pattern of a snake descending the stairs topped by a carved snake head. If you want to see what it looks like, you can see it, for example, in this video. We regret that we missed the right day (although, on the other hand, would we have been able to make it in this crowd?).

The aforementioned terraces, are divided by stairs, so there are 18 of them on one side, which is related to the number of months of the year according to the Mayan calendar.

Gran Juego de Pelota

This is a pelota pitch (also known as Ullamaliztli). What is the game? It’s hard to call it a game for entertainment, as it could have ended tragically, although the exact rules, scoring and rewards (or penalties) are not exactly known. However, it is known that it was often a game of life and death (literally).

The rules of this game were fairly simple: on two opposite walls of the court were hoops, similar to those in basketball but rotated 90 degrees. The teams’ task was to hit the ball into the “basket” while using neither hands nor feet. So they bounced the ball mainly with their hips, elbows, knees, head and shoulders.

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The field located in Chichén Itzá is considered the largest field for this “game” in Latin America. On the two, opposite, longer sides, walls were erected, and hoops were mounted on them. The field was not covered, the matches were held outdoors. Reliefs depicting the players can be seen on the walls today. At both ends of the playing fields stood temples.

Other interesting facts about Chichén Itzá and the surrounding area

Within Chichén Itzá are two cenotes (there will be another time about the cenotes themselves), from which the city takes its name, as Chichén Itzá means Springs of the Itzá People. It was in them that the Maya made offerings, such as in the form of various objects and people.

The name can be hard for foreigners to pronounce and remember, so the guides renamed it Chicken-Pizza, which everyone will remember much easier :)

Although it is common to associate our Chicken-Pizza with Mayan culture, and more specifically with the Itza tribe, it should not be forgotten that the Toltec tribe had a big influence on how the city looked and developed. The Toltecs are assumed to be the northern part of the city, while the Maya are assumed to be the southern.

An example of a building where the Toltec influence can be seen is the Temple of the Warriors – contrary to its name, it is not a pyramid on which laurel wreaths were presented to victors, but a place of execution. At the top of this pyramid, priests cut open chests and sacrificed freshly cut hearts to the gods. Warriors admittedly are – as stone pillars, right next to the Feathered Serpents.

Since we’re already on a rather gory topic…. There is a platform with carved skulls – Tzompantli. On its walls are four rows of sculptures of skulls impaled on piles.

The Chichén Itzá area holds many secrets. Ba, El Castillo itself hid a big secret until recently. Archaeologists at the pyramid have discovered another, smaller pyramid (20 meters high). Only it took place in 1931. More surprising is the fact that it was only in 2016 that another one (this time a 10-meter one) was discovered! In the middle of the latter, something like a Russian matrioshka ;)

All of the buildings on the Chichén Itzá site were built of stone. A civilization that did not use advanced tools was able to erect tall buildings, explore space, delve into mathematics and architecture.

And finally. Let’s run a little outside the city limits, however. We were surprised by the interesting fact that there is a straight road from Chichén Itzá to Tulum, over almost completely flat terrain. It is all the more remarkable that the terrain itself is not perfectly flat….

Summary

Although the Maya were supplanted by the Aztecs, and the newcomers saw only what the Aztecs showed them, we know quite a bit about the culture. Places like Chichén Itzá and Tulum are ideal for furthering this knowledge and seeing for yourself how much they were able to do and the incredible knowledge that societies had centuries ago.

Most of the above information comes from our guide, although we realize that every guide is a different story ;)

We also invite you to visit our gallery from Chichén Itzá:

Zobacz galerię wszystkich zdjęć z Chichén Itzá >>>

… and here you will find all the posts about Mexico.