As the bright Caribbean sun breaks over the canopy of the Yucatan Peninsula rainforest, a lone Priest atop the great Pyramid of Kukulkan prepares the grasses and herbs that will be burnt as a sacrifice to the great god. The villagers that live within the area of the temple make their way to sacred shrine to offer up their prayers for a healthy crop, bountiful harvest and protection from their enemies.
Chichén-Itzá - The ancient city whose name means "in the mouth at the Itzáe's Well", was, in its time of grandeur (between 800 and 1200 A.D.), the centre of political, religious and military power in Yucatan, if not all of South-Eastern Mesoamerica. The sacred city is located 75 miles east of Merida, the Capital of the State of Yucatan. This archaeological site is rated among the most important of the Maya culture and covers an area of approximately six square miles where hundreds of buildings once stood. Now most are mounds, but about thirty may still be seen by present day visitors.
The Pyramid Of Kukulkán
The Maya who lived in and around Chichén-Itzá built many palaces, temples, and monuments. One of the most important structures built by the Maya at Chichén-Itzá is the Pyramid of Kukulkán.
The Pyramid of Kukulkán towers above the other buildings of Chichén-Itzá at 79 feet (24 m), and each of the four sides has 91 steps; adding to that the platform at the top as a final step, there are 365 steps in total, one for every day of the year. This pyramid was built for both religious and astronomical purposes. During the Vernal Equinox (March 20) and the Autumnal Equinox (September 21) at about 3 P.M. the sunlight bathes the western balustrade of the pyramid’s main stairway causing seven isosceles triangles to form imitating the body of a serpent 111 feet long that creeps downwards until it joins the huge serpent's head carved in stone at the bottom of the stairway. Researchers have called this phenomenon “the symbolic descent of Kukulkán” (the feathered serpent), and postulate that it was connected with agricultural rituals. It is truly an impressive sight and there are usually thousands of visitors to Chichén-Itzá each year to witness the occurrence.
Sacred Cenote
Cenotes, sinkholes in the limestone bed exposing undergroud freshwater rivers, were very important to the Mayans as their main source of water and had great religious significance. The site of Chichén-Itzá, as with most Ancient Mayan cities, was chosen due to its proximity to a large cenote.
|
|
The Sacred Cenote at Chichén-Itzá carried with it a profound religious significance for the ancient Maya that inhabited the city. There are stories of sacrificial victims being thrown into the Sacred Cenote as an offering to the
Rain God, along with offerings of treasure. In 1901 an American, Edward Thompson, bought the land around the site and proceeded to dredge the cenote. He found jewelry, pottery, figurines and the bones of many humans, mostly children.
The Great Ball Court
From the Pyramid of Kukulkán, toward the north-east of the city, is the Great Ball Court, the largest of its kind in the Maya world. There are eight other much smaller ball courts at Chichén-Itzá and more in other Maya cities, but this one was deliberately built on a much grander scale than any others. The Great Ball Court has a playing field that is 450 ft. (135 m) long with two 25 ft. (8 m) high walls that run alongside it.
Group of the Thousand Columns and Temple of Warriors
The Temple of the Warriors which stands ten meters tall and over forty meters wide is a good example of the Toltec influence on Maya architecture. This monument is almost an exact reproduction of one in Tula, the ancient capital of the Toltecs. The Temple was named after the sculpture of warriors on the pillars of the front and supporting columns.
Throughout the temple there are also many motifs incorporating images such as heart-eating eagles and jaguars. These images refer to the military elite to whom the Platform of the Eagles and Jaguars was dedicated. There are also images of Kukulkán as the Sun of Earth. Local Maya artists are believed to have hung masks of the god Chaac, the Maya rain god, which helps to distinguish this temple from others in the Yucatán.
Andrew Synyshyn
For special predevelopment price and private viewing contact us at:
|
