Chichen Itza is one of the few ancient cities that have been partially restored during excavations. It is located in Mexico near Cancun. Previously, it was the political and cultural center of the Mayan civilization. And although today the territory is abandoned by residents, the attraction is a UNESCO heritage, so tourists come to see the ancient buildings not in the photo, but with their own eyes.
Historical summary of Chichen Itza
From history, everyone knows about the Mayan tribe, but by the time the Spaniards landed on the Yucatan Peninsula, only scattered settlements remained from the large population. The ancient city of Chichen Itza is an irrefutable confirmation of the fact that once civilization was very powerful, and the knowledge that it possessed may surprise even today.
The beginning of the construction of the city dates back to the 6th century. Architecture can be roughly divided into two periods: Mayan and Toltec culture. The first buildings appeared in the 6-7 centuries, the subsequent buildings were erected after the capture of the area by the Toltecs in the 10 century.
In 1178, the city was partially destroyed after the invasion of Hunak Keel. In 1194, the previously thriving center was almost completely deserted. It was still used for pilgrimage purposes, but for unknown reasons, residents never returned to the city with unusual architecture and developed infrastructure at that time. In the 16th century, it was already completely abandoned, as the Spanish conquerors came across only ruins.
Attractions of the ancient city
When visiting Chichen Itza, it is difficult to ignore the monumental buildings of the city, which even today amaze with their scale. The visiting card is the Temple of Kukulkan, a pyramid 24 meters high. The Maya worshiped divine creatures in the form of feathered serpents, so they hid an amazing miracle in the design features of the Pyramid of Kukulkan.
On the days of the autumn and spring equinox, the sun's rays fall on the slopes of the building so that they create the shadows of seven equilateral triangles. These geometric shapes combine into a single whole and form a snake crawling along the pyramid, 37 meters in size. The spectacle lasts almost 3.5 hours and annually gathers a huge crowd around it.
Also, during the excursions, they must tell about the Temple of Warriors and the Temple of the Jaguars, painted with unusual drawings. At the Temple of Warriors, you can see the ruins of a thousand columns, each with images of warriors engraved on it. In those days, astronomy was of great importance to the inhabitants, so it is not surprising that there is an observatory in the ancient city. The staircase has a spiral shape, so the building is called Karakol, which translates as “snail”.
One of the gloomy places in the city is the Sacred Cenote, where there is a well with the remains of animals and people. During the Toltec period, sacrifice played a key role in religion, but many children's skeletons have been found here. Scientists still cannot find a clue why children were needed for the rituals. Perhaps this secret will remain hidden within the walls of Chichen Itza.
Interesting Facts
For the Maya, astronomy was at the head of everything, a lot of nuances in architecture are associated with the course of time and calendar features. So, for example, the Temple of Kukulkan consists of nine tiers, on each side a staircase divides the pyramid in half. As a result, 18 tiers are formed, the same number of months in the Mayan calendar. Each of the four stairs has exactly 91 steps, which in total with the upper pedestal is 365 pieces, which is the number of days in a year.
Interestingly, the locals loved to play pot-ta-pok with the ball. Several playgrounds confirm this. The largest is 135 meters long and 68 meters wide. There are temples around it, one on each side of the world. The guides usually show you how to get to the sports fields and explain the rules of the game.
It will be interesting for you to read about the city of Machu Picchu.
Chichen Itza can easily surprise, because the city impresses with its scale. It seems that everything in it was thought out to the smallest detail, which is why it is not clear for what reasons the inhabitants left it. The mystery of history, perhaps, will forever remain unsolved, and this is even more interesting for tourists.
