Chichen-Itza, Mexico
Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico
Chichen Itza means mouth of the well of Itza is the sacred city of the Itza people and it is situated approx. 75 miles to the east of Merida, capital of Yucatan. The site is also thought to be one of the most important Mayan Archaeological sites and used to contain 100’s of buildings. The buildings are mainly represented by mounds but 30 or so buildings still remain.
The remains can be divided into 2 groups:
- The first group originates from 6 – 7 AD and relates to the Mayan period
- The second period is influenced by the Toltec Period from the 10-13 AD
The many steep-walled sinks – also known as cenotes – indicate a good water source for the region. Chichen Itza was a significant centre for religion and ceremony during the Mayan period and this period was marked by the flourishing of arts and sciences. The buildings of this period include:
- The Red House
- The House of the Deer
- The nunnery and its annexe
- The Church
- The Akab Dzib
- The Temple of 3 Lintels
- House of Phali
For reasons today-unknown the civilisation diminished and the Mayans left their religious centres for smaller settlements. Cities such as Chichen Itza were used only for burial of the dead and significant religious rites. The city would only be resettled in 10 AD.
The Toltec religion of the Itza peoples was based on human sacrifice. It appears that men, women and children were sacrificed. The most notable ceremony of the time would be that of the Cenote of Sacrifice which honoured the Rain God. There is a matter of dispute surrounding the cause of death of persons found in the Cenotes. The walls of the Cenotes are rather steep and an argument has been made that children playing close by could easily have fallen in accidentally. This argument has been countermanded by the discovery of ritual artefacts in the sink-hole which would be in keeping the sacrificial use in Toltec sacrifice rituals.
The most famous building on the site is Kukulcan’s Pyramid, also known as El Castillo. This Square-based, stepped pyramid is approx. 23m tall and the main symbol of the region.
During the Vernal equinox and the autumn equinox (20 March and 21 September) at about 3pm, sunlight bathes the western balustrade of the pyramids main stairway creating 7 illuminated isosceles triangles. These triangles of light create the 37m long serpent image which creeps downwards, as the sun moves, until the serpent’s body joins the serpents head. The serpents head is carved in stone at the base of the stairway.
The motif of the feathered serpent is a significant motif of the times and can be connected to agricultural rituals based on the ancient legends of the Mayans and Toltecs. According to Toltec history, the ruler Quetzalcoatl (known as the feathered or plumed serpent) was defeated in 987 AD and expelled on a raft of serpents. The same year, according to Mayan tradition, the serpent god-king named Kukalkan arrived and made Chichen Itza his capital city.
Kukulcan’s pyramid further related to sun-worship based on the solar Mayan Calendar. Each of the 4 staircases has 91 steps. This total of 364 steps plus the top platform equals 365 steps – the rough number of days in a year. The sides also divide into 18 sections which represent the 18 months of the Mayan calendar.
The site is also an example of a monument being superimposed over an older one. Beneath the pyramid one find a structure complete with a temple antechamber containing a reclining figure of Chac-mool (Red Claw). Chac-mool was a messenger of the gods and the camber also contained a sculpture of a fierce looking jaguar that is assumed to have served a throne to priests.
The El Caracol structure (which translates to the conch shell) is a giant observatory. Its stone dome contains carved windows which align to specific stars at certain times of the star cycles.
The complex also boasts the largest playing field for popular Mayan ball games. It called the Great Ball Court (Juego de Pelota) and is 135m in length and there are 8 smaller such ball-courts to be found at Chichen Itz.
There are many indications that the traditional game was not a gentle one including gruesome carvings on nearby walls. E.g.: a figure spurting blood from his headless neck while another holds the decapitated head up in the air triumphantly.
The Chichen Itza city was abandoned in 1194 and its reason for abandonment is unclear. The fanatical burning of ancient books and scripts by the Spanish conquistadores has ensured that much of the regions ancient history will most likely remain unknown forever.
