Chitzen Itza Trip Report
Chitzen Itza Review and Photos. Chitzen Itza is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. The name means "At the mouth of the well of the Itza". It was built and inhabited around 600-1000 AD. The highlights are the Castillo (Castle) or Temple of Kulkucan (the Mayan name for Quetzalqoatl or the serpent), the Sacred Cenote, the Great Ball Court, the Temple of the Warriors with its group of "1000" columns and the Caracol (snail) or observatory. Our driver Reyes with Playa.Info got us to Chitzen Itza by 9 AM well ahead of the crowds.
The cost to enter was 90 pesos per person (about $9). You can hire an english-speaking tour guide for 600 pesos (about $60). Our guide was very informative, but we felt like he slowed us down and we didn't get to wander as much as we would have liked.
TIP: Do your own research before going to Chitzen Itza, bring a guide book and map and save yourself the guide fee. You'll enjoy the site much more freely if you go on your own.
The Castillo (Temple of Kulkukan). The pyramid has 91 steps on 4 sides plus a ceremonial step at the top of the pyramid representing the 365 days of the year. The temple at the top of the pyramid has carvings of Chac, the rain god, and Quetzalcóatl, the serpent god.
During the Spring and Fall equinox, the rising or setting sun casts casts a shadow in the shape of a plumed serpent - Kukulcan, or Quetzalcoatl - along the side of the North staircase. The shadows slither down the northern side of the pyramid heading toward the sacred cenote.
This pyramid is the icon of Chitzen Itza and is the largest building on the grounds, towering above the other buildings at 79 feet (24 m) high. Two sides of the pyramid have been restored. The other two sides were left to show the condition before restoration. The acoustics outside the pyramid are amazing.
Sacred Cenote. North of the Castillo is a sacbe (Mayan Road) leading to the Sacred Cenote. A cenote is a sinkhole in the limestone, usually filled with water from an underground river. Cenotes were important to Mayans as their main source of water and also had religious significance - as the entrance to the underworld.
Sacrificed victims may have been dropped into the cenote along with offerings or tributes to the Mayan gods.
In 1901 an American, Edward Thompson, bought the land around Chitzen Itza and dredged the cenote. He found jewelry, pottery, figurines and human bones, mostly children. The bones could have been sacrificed victims or children that fell into the cenote by accident and drown. Either way, it is clear that human sacrifice was practiced at Chitzen Itza.
Great Ball Court. Just to the northeast of the Castillo is the Great Ball Court. This is the largest and most impressive known in the Maya world. There are 7 smaller ball courts at Chichén Itzá and others in other Mayan cities. None of the others are nearly as large as this court. The field is 545 feet long and 232 feet wide. There are 2 very tall 25 foot walls on the sides. The goals (stone circle hoops) are 20 feet above the ground here. They are not as high in other Mayan ball courts.
The game involved two teams of 7 players. They hit the hard rubber ball only with elbows, wrists or hips. The goal was to put the ball through a stone hoops on the wall. The game involved two teams of 7 players. They hit the hard rubber ball only with elbows, wrists or hips. The goal was to put the ball through a stone hoops on the wall.
Carvings on the lower walls show one player holding the decapitated head of another player. There are 7 streams of blood coming from the victim with 6 streams becoming serpents and one becoming a vine or winding plant. Some think the losing captain was executed. Others think the winning captain was sacrificed as an honor.
The game may have been used instead of war to settle disputes. It was clearly ceremonial and it was an honor to play. The acoustics are amazing. A clap will echo 7 times and a voice at one end of the court can be heard clearly at the other end. Only the elites attended the games.
At the north end is the Temple of the Bearded Man showing a figure that looks like he has facial hair. There is a larger temple on the south end, but it hasn't been restored. The Upper Temple of the Jaguar overlooks the ball court and has carvings of two feathered serpents.
Just outside the ball court is the wall of skulls. Archaelogists found actual human skulls here during excavation. The theory is that these carvings would scare off enemies.
Temple of the Warriors. This area just northwest of the Castillo has a large stepped pyramid or temple and numerous carved columns depicting warriors. The columns originally supported thatched roofs and was possibly used as a market place. Each carving is a different warrior. At the top the temple is a Chac Mool - the ceremonial altar for human sacrifices.
The Caracol. The south part of Chitzen Itza holds the oldest ruins. Here you will see the Caracol (or observatory) which is believed to be the oldest building. It is named for its spiral inner stairway. The tower was used for astronomy.
The windows are aligned with the position of the setting sun during the equinox and other astronomical events. The Mayan could use shadows cast in the room to tell when the solstices would occur. Outside the Caracol are large rock cups for water to watch the reflection of the stars and for use with their calendar system.
