Recently I went on a honeymoon to Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. My husband and I stayed at a resort called Sun Palace. This is an all-inclusive resorts which makes it easy to decide what to eat and what activities to do. One of the tours included in our stay was for a visit to an old Mayan City, Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza in the Mayan language means “at the mouth of the well of Itza.” A Bus driver and tour guide picked our group up in the morning. It was a 2 1/2 hour drive to Chichen Itza, which is in the Yucatan Peninsula. During the drive you notice jungle like terrain, with lowlands and what look like fertile soil.
We opted to walk the grounds of Chichen Itza initially with a tourist. The site contains many fine stone buildings in various states of preservation, and many have been restored. The buildings are connected by a dense network of formerly paved roads, called sacbeob. As we walked through the main plaza, merchants line the roads with handmade crafts.
The three best known of these complexes are the Great North Platform, which includes the monuments of El Castillo, Temple of Warriors and the Great Ball Court; The Ossario Group, which includes the pyramid of the same name as well as the Temple of Xtoloc; and the Central Group, which includes the Caracol, Las Monjas, and Akab Dzib.
When people think of Chichen Itza they often think of the Temple of Kulkukan, which is in the center of Chichen. Also known as “El Castillo” (the castle), this step pyramid is now recognized as one of the seven wonders of the New World. It is a magnificant example of Mayan architecture. Unfortunately the Mexican government now forbids tourists to climb it, but it is a breathtaking view. It is 79 feet tall with stairways up each of the four sides. Each side has exactly 91 steps.
It is also a site that attracts the public for a couple of phenomenons. One is the acoustical anomalies. When our guide hand clap at the base of the castle, we heard chirping sound of a bird echoed back. Later we find that this is the chirping sound of the Quetzal bird, the sacred bird associated with both the name of the pyramid and its deity Kukulkan/Quetzalcoatl. Also because of the natural echo phenomena, many musicians have come here to perform. We find out that on April 3, 2010 Elton John held a concert here.
In addition to the sound anomalies, there is the light and shadow phenomenon. This takes place on the northern staircase of the castle during the Spring Equinox (March 21st) and Autumn Equinox (September 21st). About three o’clock in the afternoon on those Equinox days, the sun projects seven triangles of light onto the balustrade. These begin to move up and down along the balustrade to form the silhouette of a serpent (Kukulcan or Quetzalcoatl).
Stay tuned for the next blog as we explore the Great ball court and the columns in the Temple of a Thousand Warriors.
