Chichén-ItzáChichén-ItzáWe drove from Cancún (about 120 miles) along Highway 180 in about 3 hours. An alternate route is the toll road parallel to Highway 180. The rural Route 180 passes through many villages, giving you the opportunity to see the handicrafts on display in each village. But watch out for the topes! If you're basing yourself in Mérida, it is about a 75 mile drive on Highway 180.
We established a base in the town of Pisté, at the Pirámide Inn, a moderate motel with large clean rooms (air-conditioned), a small restaurant, pool and beautiful garden. Since it is on the main road, if you stay there try to get a room in the back.
The site was founded in 425 A.D. and abandoned in 692 A.D. Descendants of the original inhabitants returnd in 998 A.D. to restore the city. It was finally abandoned in 1204 A.D. The site has some architectural elements influenced by the Toltecs.
The site is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Parking is 5 pesos. Entry is free on Sundays. There is an evening light show (Sonido y Luz) telling about the site, with the monuments being spectacularly illuminated. The show is in Spanish at 8 p.m. and English at 9 p.m. The site has a large visiors center, a museum, gift shop and restrooms.
Click on any image to see it full size.
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El Castillo - the pyramid. It has 91 steps to the top on each side (totalling 364 steps plus one for the platform at the top making 365 steps, one for each day of the year). It has 52 panels on each side representing the 52 year cycle of the Maya calendar. You can also visit an internal room with a jaguar throne near the top of the pyramid after climbing a narrow passageway from a special entrance at the bottom (open between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.). The West side has a serpent head at the foot of the each side of the staircase, On the spring or fall equinox, at sunrise, the nine pyramid levels cast a shadow on the staircase edge producing an undulating snake body. |
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A crowd gathers to view the formation of the snake by the sun casting shadows on El Castillo's staircase during annual equinoxes. The equinox occurs on the morning and evenings of Equinox March 21 and September 21 each year. |
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The head of the snake which forms at the Equinox forms the bottom of El Castillo's staircase. See the development of the snake for the September 2000 equinox by clicking here. |
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The chakmool on which sacrificed hearts were placed sits on top of the Temple of the Warriors overlooking El Castillo. |
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The Temple of the Jaguars contains carved panels with lots of warriors and jaguars. |
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The Ball Court is one of the largest and best preserved in the Maya world. The two parallel walls reflect sound back and forth producing multiple echoes and amplifying the slightest sound. The carvings along the side show the winners and losers of this sacred game. |
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Relief from the Ball Court. Can you find the ball and the decapitated player with blood spurting from his neck? |
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A face of the small temple in which the skulls of the sacrificed ball players and prisoners were placed on poles. |
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Find the jaguar and eagle eating sacrificed hearts at the Temple of the Skulls. |
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The Temple of the Warriors with the thousand columns. Named after the carvings of warriors along its walls. At the top is a figure of Chaac-Mool, the altar on which hearts of sacrificial victims were placed. |
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Columns inside the Temple of the Warriors. |
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Views from the top of the Temple of the Warriors. |
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Sacred Cenote - the sacrificial well. Follow a half mile walk to this ceremonial well into which many victims were thrown to honor the rain god Chac. Exploration of the well has produced skeletal remains of both children and adults, as well as many artifacts of pottery, jade and gold, most of which now reside at the Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology. |
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El Caracol - the astronomical observatory. This structure was built over a long period of time as the Mayas improved their knowledge of astronomy. Through slits in the tower walls, the Maya astronomers could see the moon, sun and the planets, and monitor the approach of spring and autumn equinoxes, and the summer solstice. |
