Chichen Itza In 4 Images – Things To Do In Riviera Maya
The Mayan World was a huge network of State-Cities placed in different parts of Mexico and other Central-America countries such as El Salvador, Belize, Honduras and Guatemala. Among these state-cities which had a different and unique hierarchical organization Chichen Itza really stood out and is one of the MUST visits and things to do in Riviera Maya during your vacation.
Our visit to this sacred place starts in the beatiful beaches of the Riviera Maya and goes all the way for some two and a half hours into the central part of the Yucatan Peninsula, in the middle of the jungle, we´ll find it.
Once you get to the parking lot and the entrance of the site you will literally enter a gate through time when you see the Sac Be that surounds the city. San Be in mayan means stone path or white path that remains from centuries.
As you are in Mexico you will find vendors on both sides of the huge path that was cleared up from the jungle with typical crafts and mayan calendars, once you´ve passed the vendros you will encounter a massive plain open space and then you will see the buildings and temples. These are the most representative places and the ones that MUST have in your pictures:
Is this creature going to swallow the Kukulcan Pyramid?
- The Castle.
El Castillo or The Castle is the most representative pyramid of Chichen Itzá as well as the most famous. It is also known as the Temple of Kukulcan due to the snakes that are alligned in both ends of the stairs and the feathered-serpent god effect it creates during the Spring and Autumm Equinoxes.
Have fun guessing how ancient mayas used this oversized Ball Court.
- The Great Ball Court.
Almost at the opposite site of The Castle you will find the Great Ball Court. There are as much as 13 ball courts in the entire site but the dimensions of the Great Ball Court really stand out, plus its the best preserved ball court in Mesoamerica. It is not clear why its so gigantic and we don´t believe that the ancient mayas could actually “play” de game in this court but its sure fun to try to figure it out.
Play with your sight using the columns at the Warrior Temple.
- The Temple of the Warrior.
This pyramidal building is surrounded by columns and for that reason is also known as the Temple of the Thousand Columns. At the top of it a Chac Mool sculpture can be found. This building is impressive due to its large scale and the columns all over that seem endless.
A different sight of The Snail, just walking further away from it.
- The Snail.
The snail is an observatory building with the perfect shape of a modern astronomy observatory building. It is also “strange” in a way that as most common mayan structures are either square or have a rectangular shape, the Snail is perfectly round from its base and has a staircase inside in a snail kind of shape(that´s where its name came from) and the windows and alligned to watch certain astronomy events.
Even if the entire site in breathtakingly beautiful and stunning, these four structures stand out for their unique features and architectural style besides its history and are places where you can just go wild and crazy with your camera and get stunning shots that will go along with your memories.
Keep in mind that Chichen Itza Archaeological Site is located in the middle of the jungle so always wear light clothes, long sleeve shirts and a hat or baseball cap to avoid sun burn and if you are sensitive to mosquitoes, some repellent will do the trick. And last, but not least, sit down on the ground, breathe in and out, enjoy the peace and absorb the incredible energy of Chichen Itza.