http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Seven_Wonders_of_the_World
We hired a tour guide named Hezrael who spoke English, Spanish and Mayan. We took the tour in Spanish, but he inserted English here and there and taught us some Mayan.
We learned so much from him that's it's hard to recap. Here's some pics.
Another boring sign to look at.
"What is this...a center for ANTS!?...It would have to be at least...three times this big!"
Karina and Hezrael checking out The Center for Chichen Itza Kids Who Don't Read Good. (we apologize to everyone for all the movie quotes)
THERE'S the real thing.
This temple in the center of the compound is huge. It's like the Death Star of Yucatanteca ruins.
Cool carvings on the walls of the pelota (ball) game court.
Hezrael explained the ceremonial nature of the game. We won't bore you to death with all of that, except that the captain of the winning team gets the honor of being sacrificed to Kulkulcan (Mayan version of Quetzalcoatl, or "feathered serpent" God).
What was really cool about this pelota court, other than learning all about the game, was the acoustics. The Mayans must have been terribly advanced to make something like this. When standing on one side of the court, a loud sound (like the striking of a pelota with the captain's racket) makes 7 distinguishable echoes (seven is a very important number to the Mayans, representing the seven orifices of the head, or, perfection). From the middle of the court, a loud sound makes seven distinct echoes from both sides, 14 total. They did this by making one wall with small stones on top, and big stones on the bottom, and then constructing the opposite side in reverse. How they figured out how to make them produce 7 echoes each wasn't part of the tour. :P
Additionally, the building you see at the far end of the pic below is where the king and the elite upper-class sat to observe the ceremony. Opposite of that building, at the other end of the court (quite a distance away), is where the high priest/astronomer would stand to observe. From either location, the acoustics were similar, but even better; anything spoken (even whispered) at one end could be heard at the other (and only the other end) with perfect clarity. This kept the non-elite upper-class out of the loop, symbolically and literally. Peasants were not allowed to attend or participate. We have some video of some of the clapping that Justin secretly took (because they charge you for video use) that we can show anyone interested when we get back.
The high priest's spot.
Karina and Hezrael in front of the wall of skulls. These skulls were just carvings, the Mayans did not have cemeteries, except for the lower class peasants, who would bury relatives in their home (and close to the home) in order for their animal spirit to continue to protect the family.
Now, back to the Death Star in the background. When standing below the temple perpendicular to any side, clapping, and only clapping, produces an acoustic response in the room at the top that is easily heard. Big deal, except that the sound it makes is exactly like that of a bird (Kulkulcan is half bird), and kinda sounds like Kazooie talking on Banjo-Kazooie. Not only that, but Hezrael, a Mayan, clapped three times in a certain way such that the sound made in the temple actually enunciated the word "Kul-Kul-Can." It blew our minds.
Also, the temple is a massive calendar. It's complex, but the coolest part is that on the equinox and solstice, the sun produces triangle shadows on the larger steps of the temple that create the appearance of a snake (representing Kulkulcan, speech, and fertility) alternately ascending and descending the temple twice a year, fertilizing/blessing the land and its people.
This is where the hearts of human sacrifices were laid as offerings to Kulkulcan. The Mayans only practiced animal sacrifice until the spread of Aztec power and influence. After the Aztecs saw the wall of skulls from the Mayans (which was built to intimidate enemies), they made their own variation of the wall, except Aztec walls were made from actual skulls of enemies on pikes.
Snake head.
Karina took this picture of the Observatory. The Mayan government was controlled by the religious leaders, who were astronomers, scientists. The observatory is surrounded by many small, cylindrical cups of stone that were filled with water and used as reflecting pools. From the observatory, the priests would track the progress of the planet Venus throughout the day and thus keep time. With this technology they pretty much controlled the daily life of the Mayan people down to potty breaks.
"Film grain" shot.
Justin was imagining that the priests had just announced that it was refreshment/product-placement time.
Too bad only clapping works. Imagine what other bodily noises could sound like echoing up there in the temple.
The cenote at Chichen Itza. Offerings such as jewelery and "expensive" gifts were thrown into this cenote. The Mayans used cocoa beans as part of their monetary economy. It was getting pretty hot, so after this we drove down the road a few kilometers to the touristenized Cenote Ik'Kil.
And there it is! Big ain't it?
Low-quality, rapid-shot snap of Justin jumping in from that top step over there on the right. You might have to zoom in.
Then it was Karina's turn to jump from the same height! Plug your nose and ears! Karina got some water in her ears from one of these jumps that has been giving her some grief since :(
Perdy.
The jungley gardens on the way into Cenote Ik'Kil. Karina took this one.
Justin may have taken on some water and/or suffered some [more] brain damage, so we took off after our swim.
Just down the road from Ik'Kil was this slightly more secluded sinkhole, Cenote Yodkzonot.
Roots, rock formations, water.
"Mmmmm, breathe that thick cenote air."
Then we went to....well, you can read. This one was only a few minutes from the last as well. Four cenotes in one day!
Don't slip and die on the way down. There's no one in this country who would take that kind of lawsuit seriously (which we think is awesome)!
Foliage.
Cave-ery.
Roots/formations. woot. The reflection is nice in this one.
A tree on the way home.
And a picture of that day's sunset taken from the car.
A picture we took two days earlier, and also the reason for the "typo/spelling error" in this post's title. ("Chicken Eats-sa")
Chicken Itza what? Chicken feed silly.
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