Mayan Ruins of Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is a Mayan ruin in the northern part of the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. It was built around 600 AD, over 1,400 years ago, by the ancient Mayans.

It is one of the most complete and impressive ruins in Central America, and is the second-most visited of Mexico's archaeological sites, with millions of visitors each year.

The largest, and most impressive, structure at Chichen Itza is El Castillo (The Castle, in Spanish). It is a step pyramid, and stands nearly 100 feet tall. El Castillo is the temple for the Mayan god, Kukulcan.

It used to be open to the public for climbing, but to preserve it and for the safety of the tourists, it has been closed down. This is unfortunate for those that never got to climb it, but you have to agree with the decision to preserve it for future generations

Something interesting about El Castillo is that on the spring and fall equinoxes, the sun hits the structure in such a way as to cause shadows on the sides of the pyramid that look like serpents. This event is believed to have been of great religious significance to the Mayan civilization.

In 2007, El Castillo was voted as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It joins the Great Wall of China, Taj Mahal, the Great Pyramid of Egypt, and others.

Another one of the prominent and interesting structures at Chichen Itza is the Observatory. The Observatory, called El Caracol (translates to 'the snail'), was the place where the Ancient Mayans observed the cosmos and participated in religious rituals.

The Ancient Mayans developed an amazingly accurate (yet complex) calendar, and were extremely advanced in such things for that time period. They were able to record and predict such events as eclipses. The observatory was where this took place at Chichen Itza.

Chichen Itza is about a 2 hour drive from Cancun, and trips are made daily by several tours. On the trip I went on, we left Cancun at 9:00 in the morning, stopped at a very nice Mexican buffet for lunch, and made it to Chichen Itza by about 1:00. I, along with family, explored the place and we stayed until about 6:00 pm.

Getting to Chichen Itza is pretty painless, and every hotel has some kind of tour package or arrangements for going there. Chichen Itza is such a prominent tour destination, and if you go out shopping, you'll probably be confronted with people trying to sell you tours to it or another Mayan ruin.

I think it's best and safest to talk to the hotel and book a tour through them. Otherwise, there are places like Cancun Travel that are good to book through. When booking, make sure some kind of food stop is included, as well as a tour guide is included. My tour guide had some interesting information and stories to tell, and he was also of Mayan descent and could speak the Maya language. It was cool.

There is also the alternative of driving to Chichen Itza yourself. I, personally, wouldn't do it because it's a hassle going through the checkpoints and stuff, plus I'm bad with directions. I remember going through at least 3 checkpoints and toll stations, so there's something else to worry about. Tour packages have that all included and taken care of, so I prefer that route.

The Wall of Skulls at Chichen Itza. The Ancient Mayans carved rows and rows of skulls on the walls of this building.

The Ancient Mayans honored and revered the jaguar. They believed that it was a sacred animal, the child of the gods, even. Here is a shrine at Chichen Itza that is dedicated to the jaguar.

Chichen Itza is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the Yucatán state, present-day Mexico.

Chichen Itza was a major regional center in the northern Maya lowlands from the Late Classic through the Terminal Classic and into the early portion of the Early Postclassic period. The site exhibits a multitude of architectural styles, from what is called "Mexicanized" and reminiscent of styles seen in central Mexico to the Puuc style found among the Puuc Maya of the northern lowlands.

Read the rest of this article on Wikipedia