Mexico’s Yucatan: Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza, arguably the most significant Mayan archeological site in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, has been voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.  It’s deeply mystical, miles from nowhere, and as exciting as it romantic.

Just remember that these days, basketball is very, very different.

In late December 2001, Adam, his mom, stepdad, and I rented a car in Cancun and drove the Cuota toll road about an hour south to the small, scruffy town that skirts Chichen Itza.  Immediately, we felt we’d gone back in time; as if the gene pool hadn’t changed in 1000 years, every local looked as if they’d stepped straight from a Mayan carving.

We first laid eyes on the ancient pyramid that night, bathed in the neon colors of an epic laser light show.  And no, I’m not making that up.

Much like Laser Floyd, “Laser Chichen Itza” is a spectacle of light, music, and awe, but with the added magic of booming narration by the Mexican version of James Earl Jones.  The only nightlife in this area, it’s an excellent opportunity to snuggle and wear a translation headset at the same time.  In winter, the laser show starts at 7pm and costs 95 pesos (about $6.50 US).

Our eyes still full of flashes and hue, we passed the first of two peaceful nights at the unassuming Hotel Dolores Alba; its lack of swanky decor was balanced by its heavenly pool and $4 US-a-night price tag.

When we first saw Chichen Itza in the glory of daylight, we were nothing short of stunned. This place is not only absolutely huge, it’s seriously and utterly ancient.

The massive central Pyramid of Kukulkan (called “El Castillo” by the Spanish conquistadores/downfall of the Mayan people) is a scientific wonder.  Each detail of its four sides and platform correspond to the paths of the sun and moon, days in a year, etc.  In 2001, we were still able to clamber 82 feet up its impossibly tiny steps to see the endless jungle stretching away in a sea of green. Since 2006, when a tourist fell to her death doing just the same thing, climbing the pyramid has been forbidden.

You need not, however, miss out on the harrowing climb inside El Castillo, to the dark, claustrophobic Temple of the Warriors; this dank, small and almost airless room contains an inscrutable Chac Mool statue and a fantastic red jaguar throne with creepy jade eyes.  History is quiet on the subject, but we couldn’t shake the feeling that long ago, innocent people died in here.

And speaking of innocent people dying…One of the most disquieting aspects of the whole complex is the Great Ball Court.  Bigger than a football field, it features mysterious rings set at the top edges of 23-foot-high, ornately carved stone walls.  While images survive of the ball game that was played here, no record exists of its exact rules.  Players were heavily padded around their hips, and it’s theorized that a heavy rubber ball had to make its way around the court and up through the wall rings without being touched by players’ hands.  One thing would have been certain — it was played as though life depended on it.   At the game’s end, the unfortunate loser would be sacrificed to the gods.

And speaking of sacrifice…Chichen Itza had only two main water sources, limestone sinkholes known as cenotes (say-NO-tays).  The larger one on-site is called The Well of Sacrifice…bet you can’t guess why.  Many a virgin lost her life here, offered up to the rain god Chaac.  In some cenotes in the Yucatán, you can rent scuba gear and explore their sparkling depths, but here you can only swim in one:  Ik Kil Cenote.  We thought it was absolutely beautiful…but somehow didn’t feel comfortable with the whole swimming thing.

Sprawled around the gabillion-acre site are temples and worship platforms dedicated to different deities and planets, houses, palaces, a nunnery, and even an astronomical observatory.  Depicted everywhere is a violent natural world where eagles, snakes, jaguars (and more) duke it out for power and life. Even without a guide (and one can be hired at the ticket booth) to explain each structure, we were fascinated and impressed anew every three minutes or so.

That is, until hunger and exhaustion hit.  We took both to the soothing courtyard at Mayaland, a high-end resort cozied into the jungle at the edge of the archeological zone.  Still run by descendants of the same family that opened it in 1923, it depicts a stylized version of how the Yucatan’s hacienda nobility (and its peasants/waiters) might have lived…replete with buffet-style dining and lethal margaritas.

Every now and again I dream about lying on the grass of Chichen Itza’s grand plaza, Adam by my side, the black sky lit almost insanely bright with stars.   This scene never actually happened, but after all, this is the perfect place to recollect a magical history that can only be imagined one clue at a time.

*For more of our photos from Chichen Itza, click here.

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See related posts
Mexico’s Yucatán: Cancun
Mexico’s Yucatán: Isla Mujeres
Mexico’s Yucatán: Tulum
Doin’ Time at the Ruins of Tulum
Isla Holbox: A Windfall of Whale Sharks
TWT Travel Binder: Mexico