While on a vacation in Playa Del Carman, Mexico, in 1996, I rented a car and drove
across the Yucatan Penninsula to the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza.
The trip itself was an adventure, as I got to experience first hand the
greed and corruption of the local "policia".
<smirk>
Anyway... I made it to the ruins area and, after paying the admission, walked up
the jungle path to a clearing, where......
The first thing you see is the great "La Piramide de Kukulkan", named after
the Mayan feathered serpent god.
During a solstice, two of the faces of the pyramid are completely lit, while the
others are completely dark!
This pyramid has also been called "The Pyramid of The Sun", since it was assumed
to have been part of the Mayan worshipping of the Sun.
The rationale behind this belief is actually quite interesting.
There are four staircases on each side of the pyramid, with 91 steps each.
If you multiply four times ninety-one, then add one for the platform at the top of the
pyramid, you get 365, or the number of days in a standard, solar year.
Cool, huh?
The climb up the steep steps of the pyramid was tougher than it looked, such that, by the time
I reached the top, I was winded!
And, these are incredibly steep stairs!
There was a chain in the middle of one of the staircases to aid visitors in the climb.
The "Temple of the Warriors" was an impressive sight on its own!
It is a massive temple structure, surrounded by hundreds of columns.
The rows of columns continue into the jungle, and are overtaken by the vines and roots.
The restoration of the Chichen Itza complex is an on-going effort, as the jungle
would quickly reclaim it, if not held at bay!
The great "Ball Court" was a playing field where rival teams would compete to
have a ball thrown through stone hoops carved into the opposing walls.
Legend has it that teams sometimes consisted of conquered enemies with the losing teams
suffering the "ultimate consequences" for defeat!
The sacrificial wells, or "Cenotes", were also a popular destination.
You could almost image the ceremonies held there as young maidens were offered as
sacrifices to the Mayan gods.
This was one of the few places at Chichen Itza where care was taken to keep
visitors from harm.
A rope kept the crowds from venturing too close to the edge and offering themselves
as sacrifices.
Off into the jungle a bit were some of the living areas, other community buildings,
and a fascinating observatory, known as "Carocal", or "Giant Conch Shell"
— so named for its almost Nautilus-like winding passageways.
The Mayans were keen astronomy observers, as the round building had several windows that
corresponded to, among others, the vernal equinox, and the extreme rise and set points
of Venus throughout the year.
Small caves also dotted the jungle landscape along the narrow, barely beaten-back, trails.
I ventured into one such cave and, after taking a picture around a corner into the blackness,
discovered that it was full of bats!
Yowzaa!!!
return to the trench