Chichen Itza, Mexico

The Maya name "Chichen Itza" means "At the mouth of the well of the Itza." This derives from chi', meaning "mouth" or "edge", and ch'en or ch'e'en, meaning "well." Itzá is the name of an ethnic-lineage group that gained political and economic dominance of the northern peninsula.
Built by the Maya people of the Post Classic. The archaeological site is located in the municipality of Tinum, in the Mexican state of Yucatán.

I cannot begin to attempt to convey my feelings in writing of the awe I feel while walking around inside the city.  It's a large city, and easy to see how this would have been a thriving metropolis during the classic/post-classic Mayan period.  Their understanding of mathematics and astrology was amazing, every structure manipulates the alignment of planets and stars to serve a purpose of calendar alignments .... perfectly!  Most likely the manipulation of astrology in this manner would have created a loyal following and belief of Mayan citizens.

The Temple of Kukulkan, dominates the North Platform. On the Spring and Autumn equinoxes, in the late afternoon, the northwest corner of the pyramid casts a series of triangular shadows against the western balustrade on the north side that evokes the appearance of a serpent wriggling down the staircase.

Feathered serpent sculpture at the base of one of the stairways of the Temple of Kukulkan.

Initial investigations of construction that predated the Temple of Kukulkan (2009).


Temple of Warriors


Columns in the Temple of 1000 warriors.

The Cenote Sagrado (Sacred Cenote) - a place of pilgrimage and sacrifice in Maya tradition.

The Great Ball Court about 150 metres to the north-west of the Castillo is by far the most impressive. It is the largest and best preserved ball court in ancient Mesoamerica. It measures 168 by 70 metres.

The Osario

El Caracol ("The Snail" in Spanish) - The Observatory, with doors and windows aligned to astronomical events, specifically around the path of Venus.

One of the things hard not to notice is the numerous large rocks laying around in places, unmoved since falling from a nearby ruin structure.  They're huge, and very heavy, which is the only thing keeping them from being moved for probably over 1000 years.

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