Chichen Itza
Quite possibly the most visited Mayan site anywhere, and it shows. Lots of money for groundskeeping, preservation, and ongoing research. Initially I did not want to go, expecting a huge tourist circus. I was right, but the day was so miserably hot, that the sweaty masses rushed from shade to shade and many beat a hasty retreat to the restaurant and other facilities and stayed cool and said, 'Chichen Itza, done!'. In retrospect I am very happy that I went. Each site seems to have something special, and Chichen Itza was no exeption. It has the hands-down finest ball court in the post Mayan world. There is more that makes this site unique and definitely worth a visit. |
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| This ballcourt is different, much larger in every way, than all the others in the Mayan world. Because of that, the usual rules of using only hips to get the ball through the stone hoop were not in place here. |
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| The leader of the winning team was sacrificed. The leader of the losing team was the man to cut off the head of the winning team's captain. The round stone is the customary Mayan altar of sacrifice. Mouse over the image to see the details more clearly. The captain of the winning team, i.e. the finest the region had to offer, is kneeling to await his fate. The second individual may be another warrior or possibly a priest. |
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Here you see the leader of the losing team move forward to commence the sacrificial ritual. He carries a sharp, possibly jade knife. He, too, is accompanied by another individual, either priest or warrior. Mouse over the image to see the details more clearly. |
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Very painful for one who collects masks and could not bring a single one home, because of the long journey ahead. |
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The long way to the sacred cenote was lined with merchants |
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The view along both the Temple of the Warriors and the Temple of the Grande Mesas |
3D