The Chichén Itzá pyramid is what most people envision when they think of Mayan ruins. It is truly a majestic complex, covering approximately 2 square miles. It consists of many structures, including the main pyramid (El Castillo / Templo de Kukulcán), the ancient ball court, the Temple of the Warriors, the Skull Platform, the Group of a Thousand Columns, and an Observatory. Chichen Itza was a powerful regional center for the Maya and one of their largest cities. It is now among the most visited sites in Mexico and the Castle has been named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
The design of the structures is positively amazing. The most famous is the appearance of a shadow along the steps of the Temple of Kukulcán at the spring and autumn equinox. It looks like a snake sliding down the pyramid that connects to the stone carving of Quetzalcoatl (the feathered serpent) at the bottom. Also, when a person in the field in front of the stairs claps, the sound of a bird (coatl) resonates from the pyramid while the sound of a serpent’s bell (quetzal) resonates from the Temple of the Warriors area. Each of the 4 sides of the pyramid has 91 steps (representing one season) that add up to 364 plus the top step to equal 365 (representing one year).
Another architectural marvel is the 551-by-230-foot ball court. Due to the slight curve built into the court’s 26-foot-high walls, a whisper from one end can be clearly heard at the other end. The number seven was sacred to the Mayans and is repeated many times on the site. There were seven players on a team, the “goals” from the rim were seven meters high and if you clapped or shouted on the court, the sound will resonate exactly seven times. The captain of the winning team was sacrificed and there are carvings on the stone walls representing the seven snakes that emerged from his neck. Beheading sounds like a strange reward, but the Mayans felt it was a true honor and thought they would ascend directly to heaven.
Be sure to visit the Cenote Sagrado (sacred sinkhole) for which Chichén Itzá was named. The well is 200 feet in diameter and 90 feet to the surface of the water. Since this area of Mexico is a limestone plain, the cenotes lead to underground rivers. It was not only the main source of fresh water for the Mayans, but also a ceremonial place. In the early 1900s, dredging was carried out and many sacrificial victim bones and treasures were found. Due to dredging, the water flow decreased and the cenote is now green with algae.
This massive Mayan site is something not to be missed if you are staying anywhere on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.