In February of 2022 I had the opportunity to visit the Yucatan peninsula; destination Chichen Itza and Ek Balam! I had dreamed of visiting the Yucatan Peninsula after taking a Mayan Archaeology class in grad school. That would have been the year 2000 plus or minus. I used my old textbooks to refresh my memory on the site. Wouldn’t you know it, those textbooks dated from about 1994. Again, plus or minus.
The data hasn’t changed very much since Chichen Itza has been known for decades. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988 and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-americas/chichen-itza
It was occupied centuries ago, and there is updated information about the site, but I am old school and stuck with my textbooks. Oh. Disclaimer. I am a professional archaeologist.
On the way to Chichen Itza we stopped at an agave farm! Looking out over the vast horizon of fully mature agave plants brought joy to my heart!
Chichen Itza
Anyway. We had a guide for the day, a gentleman named Tacho. Tacho was happy to share information about the site, his own history, and that of his people. The facts he was sharing with as we rode across the Yucatan Peninsula us were things reminding me of knowledge gained and lost, 20 plus years ago. To clarify, I am not a Mayan archaeologist. Not my specialty at all, I just was a “well rounded” student. I was taking notes in my phone, as I didn’t think to bring paper. The phone that was stolen a few days later.
The Temple of the Warriors, behind Tacho in the following photo, is thought to have been a marketplace. The posts in front of the building would have supported thatched rooves, to protect from sun and rain.
El Castillo
The first stop at Chichen Itza, is El Castillo (Pyramid of Kukulkan), the one on pictures and postcards. It was magnificent. People are no longer allowed to climb the temple because, wouldn’t you know it, the potential of haphazardly falling down the dozens of, I don’t know how many, but a lot of stairs, is too risky for management to allow. But it’s the kind of thing that would bang up in a very serious ways, so we were happy to walk around the base of the temple and just inhale its magnificence. We saw people posing for pictures with their hands up, as if they’re holding the temple. That kind of behavior was too touristy for me, so I abstained.
The Ball Court
It was clear which part of the temple had been restored and which had not. More exciting for me than the temple was the ballcourt. I’ve always been fascinated by the Mayan ballcourt, the stories, the legends the fact that it was the winners who were sacrificed at the end of the game not the losers.
Because that sacrifice through the glory of the game meant reaching the heavens with all of the glory that entails. To win the ball game was a death sentence that many, many warriors were willing to face to attain eternal glory.
I took lots and lots of pictures of Chichen, especially the ballcourt. I took close up pictures of the carvings on the walls of the court, many of which had been restored.
The imagery was warriors playing the games, celebrating their victory, losers celebrating their defeat. Ok, celebrating might not the right word; the losers of the game didn’t die from participating, only the winners. Sometimes losing might be ok.
The Tourist in Me
We spent as much time as we could at Chichen Itza, but had other stops planned for the day. I picked up a small crystal turtle for my turtle collection back at home. I also purchased the calculation of my birthday in the Mayan calendar!
After picking up a few snacks and trinkets, it was back to the van and onto the next stops! https://www.chichenitza.com/blog
I have many more photos from Chichen Itza, which you can find on my Trails, Tales and Transformations Facebook page and gallery on this site.
