Mexico - Yucatan
Chichén Itzá
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Throughout the following Classic Period (A.D. 300–900) some of these Yucatán sites faded but the area still remained a part of the amazing cultural development of such well known Mayan jungle cities as Tikal, Palenque, and Copan. Amazingly, the Yucatán region did not share in the collapse of the sites in the heartland area. Indeed, we now know that the rise of the great Puuc sites, such as Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, Labná, and the florescence of the magnificent city of Chichén Itzá, occurred as other sites to the south were declining. The emergence of the greatest period in the Yucatán began perhaps as late as A.D. 800, and continued until the fall of Chichén Itzá at around 1250. During these years new ideas and new populations became part of the Mayan civilization, yet lifestyle and world view retained the Classic Maya concepts of culture. Chichén Itzá was the most important Mayan city on the Yucatán Peninsula until A.D. 1250. It exhibits clear influence from the valley of Mexico at this time. Contacts were probably established by ongoing trading interaction between Central Mexico and the Yucatán, beginning at around A.D. 700. However, influence did not flow one way; Mayan influences can be seen at Cacaxtla and Xochicalco in Central Mexico and people and ideas must have moved freely in both directions. The mechanisms for these exchanges/contacts may not have been direct (e.g. migrations, conquests), but may have been most closely tied to the increasing role of merchants and traders toward the end of the Classic Period throughout Mesoamerica. Archaeological research indicates that the Yucatán was a prime source for the trade of salt, honey, slaves, cotton, and perhaps cacao as well—all major items of exchange in the pre-Columbian world.Around A.D. 1250, Chichén Itzá fell to a group of competing Yucatán states led by Mayapan but it remained a center of religious pilgrimage and activity until the middle of the 16th century. By that time the Maya/Yucatán region was torn apart by small warring states participating in a complex trading system. This was the situation encountered by the Spanish when they first landed on the Mayan island of Cozumel. The actual conquest of the Yucatán did not come until 1528, when Francisco de Montejo, under the auspices of the Spanish crown, invaded the region. However, the dispersed states of the peninsula did not succumb easily to the invaders, and fought on until 1542 when a Spanish capital was finally established at Mérida.Today descendants of the Maya live on in towns and villages of the peninsula. Customs from the pre-Hispanic era dominate much of rural life, and traditions in agriculture, religion, and language still reflect the ancient patterns of the Mayan world. CHICHÉN ITZÁ (A.D. c.700–1250) The places mentioned below just begin to touch on the rich selection of fascinating places to see within this once-mighty city. They are some of our favorites, and will get you started.Cenote de Los Sacrificios (Cenote of the Sacrifices): This natural well, reached by a path through the jungle from the central plaza, served not only as a water source for the city but also as a place where offerings were made to the gods. Over the years, a number of archaeological expeditions have recovered artifacts from the bottom of this deep, limestone sinkhole. Golden figurines and disks, jade objects, and ceramic bowls were found along with skeletons, primarily of adolescents and children. All had been offered as sacrifices or perhaps messengers to the gods.El Caracol (The Snail): Located a bit away from the central plaza and reached by a ten-minute stroll, is a second set of buildings. Be sure not to miss the path, as here you find one of Chichén Itzá’s highlights: a fascinating, very unusual domed structure that was obviously used as an observatory. The name “snail” comes from the inner staircase, which, if you stretch your imagination, looks a bit like a snail. Grupo de Las Mil Columnas (Complex of the Thousand Columns): Flanking two sides of the Temple of the Warriors are row-upon-row of stone columns, some carved, some plain. This awesome scene looks like something one would expect to find in Greece, not Mexico. It is surmised that these columns originally supported a thatched roof covering a huge open market. The temple and the columns make a wonderful photograph when taken in late afternoon from the top of the Pyramid of Kukulkán. Juego de Pelota (Great Ball Court): This dramatic ball court is the largest in Mesoamerica and while there are 12 other ball courts at Chichén Itzá, this one is spectacular. The game was played as a ritual performance, as well as a sport, and is one of the hallmarks of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican culture. At the end of the ball game, the captain who lost was often sacrificed to the gods. This sacrificial scene is realistically carved in a long frieze along both side walls of the court. Look carefully and you will see two rows of ball players standing behind each captain. At the center, these captains face each other across a large rubber ball enclosing a skeletal head. One of the captains stands holding a knife in one hand and a severed head in the other; his opponent kneels and from his headless neck issue seven streams of blood. This graphic scene speaks clearly to the practice of human sacrifice and the offering of human blood to the gods to ensure fertility of crops and the continuity of life. Pyramid of Kukulkán (Pyramid of Kukulkán): This impressive, 24-meter-high pyramid soars above the other buildings in the complex. Two of the four sides have been restored, and this is a favorite target for schoolchildren who seem to zoom up the 91 steps to the top. You might want to join them for there is a terrific view up there. When you add up the steps on all four sides, plus the platform above, the sum is 365, which clearly links its significance to the Mayan calendar, which had 365 days in its year. SIDE TRIPS FROM CHICHÉN ITZÁ If you want to extend your stay in Chichén Itzá, you can take a few side trips. Among the nearby places we suggest are Izamal, an early Spanish Colonial town with a church and convent built on top of one of the Yucatán’s highest pyramids, and the Sacred Cave of Balankanche, which lies about 7 kilometers from Chichén Itzá. This cave contains chambers which were once filled with hundreds of ceramic incense burners and miniature metates (grinding stones) laid out on the cave floors, as offerings to the rain god. Caves were seen by the Maya and most other Mesoamerican cultures as sacred places and as entrances to the underworld. The one is still used by local shamans (priests) who continue to regard it as sacred.
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