Why one of the most developed Mayan cities, Chichen Itza, was deserted in the twelfth century, no one knows: the policy of the Spanish conquistadors was aimed at the complete destruction of paganism, which included the burning of manuscripts and the killing of priests who, perhaps, could tell something about the mysterious past of their people. So the memory of this amazing city Mexico has come down to us only in stones.

Chichen Itza on the map is located in Mexico, 120 km southeast of Merida, the capital of the Yucatan Peninsula, and is currently not only one of the most famous cities of the Mayan period, but not without reason it is considered a new wonder of the world.

Previously, this settlement was called differently - "Uukil-abnal" ("Seven Bushes"). Chichen Itza received its current name a little later, when the fame of the well in which sacrifices were made spread to nearby areas, as a result of which the city was renamed the “Well of the Itza tribe”: “chi” meant “mouth”, “chen” - “well "And" itza "- this was the name of one of the Mayan tribes who founded the settlement.

The city of Chichen Itza at that time was quite large: its area was about 10 square meters. km. Despite the fact that only ruins remained from most of the buildings, some structures (mostly of a cult nature) are well preserved and are of great interest not only to scientists and researchers, but also to many inhabitants of our planet.

The life of this amazing wonder of the world in Mexico is divided by researchers into two stages.

Mayan culture period (VI-VII century)

Uukil-abnal was founded by representatives of the Mayan tribe, who arrived on the peninsula from the south of the continent, according to one version in the middle of the 5th century, according to another, two centuries later. Since the Maya were very well versed in astronomy, Chichen Itza was built taking into account the position in the sky of various astronomical bodies, which played an important role in their beliefs and traditions (for this purpose, they even built an observatory in the city).

The inhabitants of the city were considered excellent craftsmen and skilled artists (as evidenced by the found sculptures of gods, various crafts, as well as bas-reliefs with floral and geometric ornaments).

Toltec period (X-XI centuries)

In the tenth century, Chichen Itza came under the rule of the Toltecs (one of the tribes of the Uto-Aztec language group), as a result of which the number of inhabitants increased sharply, presumably to 20-30 thousand people.

The culture of this people could not but affect both the architecture of the city and its religion: the Toltecs practiced frequent human sacrifices, an example of which is a well, at the bottom of which a huge number of human remains were found, mostly men and children.

True, the Toltecs did not stay here for long: they left the city after the defeat of their troops in 1178. And fourteen years later, Chichen Itza was abandoned by the inhabitants completely, began to collapse, and by the time the Spaniards appeared in Mexico, only ruins remained from it.

Acoustics of Chichen Itza

All buildings in Chichen Itza are located in such a way that they create an amazing acoustic effect that amplifies the sound many times over. This is especially noticeable in the stadium of the ancient Toltecs: if people who were in temples located on opposite sides of the field wanted to talk to each other, they could easily do this without fear that someone would hear them (of course, if they did not stand nearby )!

Such a “telephone” effect was discovered by chance and what knowledge should have been locals to achieve it, scientists are not yet able to explain.

The Most Remarkable Maya Buildings

All major buildings Chichen Itza located on the largest square, in the center of which the temple of the main deity of the city, Kukulkan, was erected.

Pyramid

The most notable building of Chichen Itza is famous pyramid Kukulkan, the feathered serpent, the supreme god of winds and rains. It was erected on the foundation of an earlier structure. The height of the pyramid is 30 meters, the length of each side is 55 m. Each side of the pyramid is oriented to one of the cardinal points.

The pyramid has nine tiers. At the top is a temple 6 meters high - sacrifices were made on it. The temple can be reached by one of the four stairs, each of which expands upward, creating an optical illusion of a completely flat staircase.

These stairs divide each side of the pyramid in two - thus, the number of tiers of each side in total is eighteen (that is how many months the Mayan calendar year has). Each staircase has 91 steps. Scientists have noticed: if their number is multiplied by the number of stairs and the top floor is added, it turns out 365 - that is how many days a calendar year has.

This pyramid is notable for the fact that during the spring and autumn equinoxes, the god himself, Kukulkan, crawls along it, thereby showing people a real miracle.

The rays of the sun fall on one side of the temple of Kukulkan so that, thanks to the play of light and shadow, seven equilateral triangles appear on it. These figures form the body of a huge snake 37 m long, which, as the sun moves, crawls down the pyramid to its head, located at the base of the stairs. You can watch the movement of this wonder of the world for 3 hours and 22 minutes.

Inside the pyramid, archaeologists have found several secret rooms, in one of which there was a throne carved from stone in the shape of a jaguar, painted in orange (Jaguar Mat).

The eyes and spots of the beast are made of jade, and the claws of the ancient masters were carved from volcanic stone. A figure was discovered here, which archaeologists later named Chak Mool.

It depicts a man holding a dish with gifts intended for the gods, and is located opposite the door leading to the temple of the Warriors and, judging by the deciphered records, was a symbol of Chichen Itza.

Temple of the Warriors

Temple of the Warriors is on the west side central square and was erected on a low four-tier pyramid, the base of which was 40 x 40 m. On the walls of the temple, you can see images of sacred animals carved from stone, and it is crowned by the figure of the main god of the city, Kukulkan.

Inside the building there are several spacious halls, and the entrance is decorated with massive columns in the form of snakes, whose heads are below, and their tails are directed to the sky. Behind the snakes are four giants (atlanta) holding a stone altar.

colonnades

Near the temple of the Warriors, you can see a platform with four rows of columns, each of which is three meters long. Each column is decorated with embossed images of Indian warriors (because of this, the nearby temple got its name). According to the assumptions of some scholars, in former times, a reed roof was installed on these pillars, under which the city's bazaar was located.

Observatory Caracol

Chichen Itza had its own observatory - a round building towering on a double stone platform with small windows through which the priests had the opportunity to observe the starry sky. Inside the observatory is a spiral staircase resembling a shell, which is why the building got its name (“Karakol” means “snail”).

Ball courts

There were about 12 ball courts (pot-ta-pok) in the ancient city. The largest of them was built no later than 864 AD, was 135 m long, 68 wide, and the height of its walls was 12 meters (at the same time, the rings where the Mayans were supposed to throw the ball were fixed at the level of eight meters).

Four temples were located on each side of the stadium, each of which was oriented to a certain side of the world.

The Indians played with a rubber ball weighing about four kilograms - it could be beaten off with a stone bat, and touched with any parts of the body, except for the arms and legs. This game was hard, cruel, lasted several hours (the rings were located high enough so that they could be so easily hit) and ended with sacrifices: the captain of the losing team was beheaded right at the stadium, sacrificing to the sun god.

How the whole process of the game took place can be judged by the engraved scenes on the bas-reliefs of the stadium (for example, here you can see a headless player, near which his executioner raises his severed head).

Well

Another attraction that Chichen Itza became famous for and after which the city got its name is a natural well with a depth of about 50 meters that served for sacrifices. You can get to it along a three-hundred-meter paved road, the width of which is ten meters.

The well is striking in its size:

• The diameter of the well is 60 meters;
• Depth - 82 meters;
• The water starts at a depth of 20 meters from the edge.

This well was sacred: people were thrown into it. Despite the fact that in former times it was believed that this fate befell young beautiful girls, divers, having descended to the bottom, refuted this hypothesis by raising about 50 skeletons from the bottom, which belonged mainly to men and children. Why exactly they were sacrificed - Chichen Itza still keeps this secret.

In the north of the Mexican Yucatan, the largest center of the Mayan people, Chichen Itza, was once located. The city in translation meaning approximately “The mouth of the well of the Itza tribe” was founded in the 7th century AD. In the 10th century, the Toltec army captured this city-state and formed its capital here. In 1178, the city was captured by neighboring city-states, and from 1194 it fell into complete disrepair. No one can now say what caused the residents to leave. The Spaniards who came here in the 16th century stumbled only on the ruins of Chichen Itza.

The excavations carried out in our time on the site of this ancient city made it possible to find many interesting architectural monuments from the culture of the time. One of the most famous was the temple of Kukulkan, which is a 9-step pyramid. Another interesting building is the temple of the Warriors on a 4-step pyramid, decorated with paintings. Stadiums for violent ball games, a 50-meter well for sacrifices, a sacred cenote, an observatory of the statue of local gods were also discovered.

Stadium ball ring

Interestingly, the land with these structures until 2010 was in private hands. But competent actions of the government allowed it to be returned to the state for $17.8 million. The ancient Mayan city is very popular among tourists. A monument of this magnitude, of course, was taken under the control of UNESCO. And in 2007 he was awarded the title of one of the new wonders of the world.

Temple of Kukulkan at Chichen Itza

The main interesting architectural buildings in Chichen Itza were built in the so-called Mexican period - the time after the capture of the city by the Toltecs. At the same time, the main temple of the Mayan city, the temple of Kukulkan, was built. The temple was dedicated to the Toltec god Kukulkan, whom they called the Feathered Serpent.

The temple, due to its expressiveness and popularity, has become a symbol of all of Mexico. Any inhabitant of our planet has seen this 24-meter nine-step pyramid at least once in his life.

The building has a square plan, massive appearance. It is not surprising that the Spaniards who came here called it a castle. The temple is set on a huge terrace (18 hectares) along with many others famous buildings Chichen Itzi. On the right is the temple of the Warriors, on the left is the temple of the Jaguars.

Four staircases lead to the top of the temple, oriented to the cardinal points. The stairs are accompanied by a balustrade starting with a snake's head. On the days of the equinox, the lighting creates an interesting effect: it seems as if the Serpent Kukulkan begins to crawl out of its lair.

Serpent head

In addition to its orientation to the cardinal points, the temple is also distinguished by other astronomical details. There are 91 steps on each staircase, which gives a total of 364. And if we add the upper platform to this number, we get the total number of days in a year - 365. The nine main steps of the pyramid are separated by a staircase, which actually doubles them to 18. With the number 18 in the Maya is associated with the number of months in a year. Each wall depicts 52 reliefs - the number of years in the calendar cycle.

At the top of this large pyramid is the temple itself, with four entrances. The main entrance to the sanctuary is in the north. There are two columns depicting snakes. Inside are two more pairs of the same. In the old days, it was here that terrible human sacrifices were made.

Temple of Kukulkan

An interesting fact is the presence of another of the same nine-step pyramid in the main pyramid. The entrance was found relatively recently, and it was here that the symbol of Mayan power, the Jaguar Mat, was hidden.

Jaguar Throne

The Jaguar mat is the ruler's throne, carved from stone, resembling the figure of a jaguar. The throne is inlaid with 73 jade disks in the form of jaguar spots. They are filled with the eyes of the beast. The first owners of the throne include Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, the founder of the Toltecs.

Temple of the Warriors at Chichen Itza

Another well-known temple of the city of Chichen Itza is located to the right of the pyramid of Kukulkan. The Temple of the Warriors is also located on the pyramid, the approaches to which are guarded by a detachment of patterned columns.

This building completely copies the temple of Quetzalcoatl in Tollan. The Toltec leader Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, before uniting the tribes and making major conquests, lost this city. So that in the new place he would be reminded of the past glory, a copy of this temple was built.

In front of the stairs of the temple there are 60 patterned columns 2.6 meters high, arranged in four rows. Previously, these columns had a roof, from which, alas, nothing remains now. Everywhere in the temple there are images of warriors - hence its name. As well as in all the temples of the Toltecs, human sacrifices were made here.

The pyramid of this temple is smaller - only 11.5 meters and consists of five steps. Balustrades of the central staircase are decorated with stone male figures. The top is decorated with the actual temple, which consists of two rooms - the front hall and the sanctuary itself. The entrance to the sanctuary is decorated with columns with snakes already familiar to us. In the sanctuary there is an altar for sacrifices supported by figures of people. Nearby stands an idol of the demon Chak-Mool, holding a dish on which the priests threw people's hearts. There are not so cruel assumptions of researchers on this idol. Some also believe that the dish serves as an offering in the form of intoxicating drinks, and the idol itself is a rain god or guardian of the temple.

Chuck Mool

Inside the temple, outwardly, everything is calmer and does not remind of a cruel past. There are many sculptures and frescoes, familiar images of snakes, jaguars, eagles. The warriors on the reliefs of the temple depict typical Indians of that time. They move in a march or stand majestically in place. The frescoes depict the history of the Mayan capture by the Toltecs, as well as the peaceful life of the inhabitants of this place. The Temple of the Warriors is undoubtedly one of the most interesting structures for studying the Maya-Toltec culture.

And although after the defeat the city fell into decay, the rudiments of a great civilization retained their cultural heritage and passed it on to their descendants. Chichen Itza in Mexico is indeed one of the the most unique places our planet.

Video about Chichen Itza

(Chichen Itza) ancient city founded by the Maya Indians in the 6th century. The pyramids of Chichen Itza are one of the most visited places in the Yucatan. The name Chichen Itza itself is translated from the Mayan language as " Mayan well”, due to the fact that on the territory of the ancient city there are 13 cenotes (natural wells). One of them, the Sacred Cenote, served as a sacrifice to the God of Rain.

In the X century, the city of Chichen Itza was captured by the Toltecs, and in 1194 the city was deserted. Why the inhabitants left Chichen Itza is still not known.

Ancient city and pyramids of Chichen Itza located on the Yucatan Peninsula, 205 km from famous resort and 120 km from Merida. Chichen Itza is one of the most popular and most visited attractions in the Yucatan Peninsula. Almost all tourists who come to Mexico, to Cancun, consider it their duty to visit the archaeological complex of Chichen Itza, so there are always a lot of people here. It is advisable to come to the opening, then there is a chance to walk around the complex alone 😎

The ancient city and pyramids of Chichen Itza are protected by UNESCO.

How to get to the pyramids of Chichen Itza, Mexico

1. By bus. ADO buses run from Cancun and Merida. Ticket price Cancun - Chichen Itza 80 - 140 pesos (depending on the bus class). Travel time is 3-4 hours. Ticket price Merida - Chichen Itza 50-80 pesos, travel time 1.45 - 2.5 hours
2. Can buy organized tour to Chichen Itza, group or individual. The tour can be booked at any hotel or agreed in advance with individual guide. To order a tour, just follow the link.
3. On rental car . As for me, this is the best way to get to Chichen Itza. Other sights can be seen along the way. Read about how to rent a car in Mexico in Cancun. From Cancun, you can get to Chichen Itza on toll or free roads.

Opening hours and cost of visiting the archaeological complex of Chichen Itza

The Chichen Itza complex is open to the public from 8:00 to 17:00. Evening light show takes place at 19:00 at winter period and at 20:00 in the summer.

Cost of tickets to Chichen Itza: a ticket to Chichen Itza consists of two parts - a ticket for 125 pesos and a ticket for 57 pesos, total admission costs 182 pesos ($14.5). These are the most expensive pyramids we've been to in Mexico 😎

Parking near Chichen Itza is also paid - 22 pesos (a little less than $ 2).

We knew that we needed to arrive in Chichen Itza as early as possible, so we left at 6:30 in the morning! It's good that the time difference with Moscow is 10 hours, in the first days we got up at 6 in the morning without any problems.

We drove to Chichen Itza on a toll road to save time. Travel on the toll road Cancun - Chichen Itza is not at all cheap: we paid twice, the first time 251 pesos, the second time 61 pesos, total 312 pesos (almost 25 dollars !!!) ....

Toll road Cancun - Chichen Itza

…and for what? For a little less than 200 km. We drove these 200 km in 3 hours, I don’t know how people manage to drive them in 2 hours? We do not break the rules, we did not exceed the speed limit, we stopped once at a gas station for 5 minutes.

We arrived at the entrance to the archaeological complex of Chichen Itza at 9:30 in the morning.
There were already cars of independent travelers in the parking lot, but not as many as I thought. We bought tickets, guides immediately began to pester us, but we, of course, refused them. At the entrance to the complex there is a toilet (free of charge), souvenir shops, cafes.

The first thing that catches your eye upon entering the archaeological zone is the main attraction of Chichen Itza - (or El Castillo, translated from Spanish as “castle”).

The main attraction of Chichen Itza is the Pyramid of Kukulkan

This is a nine-tiered pyramid, 24 meters high, on top of which there is a temple in which sacrifices were made. The pyramid of Kukulkan is symmetrical and has four stairs. And each staircase consists of 91 steps. If the number of steps 91 is multiplied by the number of stairs 4 and one is added (the upper platform), then we get the number 365 - the number of days in a year!

The central (northern) staircase of the pyramid of Kukulkan
Not the main staircase of the pyramid of Kukulkan 🙂

Pyramid of Kukulkan is also known as Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent . Every year, on the days of the equinoxes, March 20 and September 21, many people come to the Kukulkan pyramid to look at one very interesting phenomenon: at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the sun illuminates the main staircase of the pyramid so that shadows are formed - triangles that together look like a snake’s tail, along as the sun moves, the triangles go out and form the effect of a snake crawling down.

By the way, you can look at this spectacle at the nightly light show.

Temple of the Warriors

Let's go to "Group of a Thousand Columns" , there is a place called the market.

In general, in this part of the archaeological zone of Chichen Itza, it is rather sparsely populated and calm. And the sun does not bake, it's nice to take a walk or relax under the crown of trees.

Attracts attention ball field . This is one of the largest fields on the territory of the complex, its length is 166 m, width is 68 m, the height of the walls is 12 m. Stone rings are fixed at a height of 8m. The Mayans used to play ball here. The game was called "pot-ta-pok", played with a rubber ball, which weighed about 4 kg and could only be beaten off with the hip. The game is supposed to end with a sacrifice.

Field for playing ball: on the wall there is a ring where, according to the rules of the game, it was necessary to score the ball

You cannot climb the pyramid of Kukulkan and other ruins. They say that earlier it was possible to climb the pyramid, but then this business was banned. Either someone fell from the pyramid, or they are simply afraid that the pyramid will deteriorate and collapse ... Therefore, a walk around the Chichen Itza complex did not take us so much time - only two hours.







When we headed to the exit, at about 11:30, crowds of tourists began to come towards us, there were many Russian-speaking groups.

Watch a short video of this amazing place 😎

Immediately, local merchants have already laid out their stalls with souvenirs. By the way, here you can buy cheap souvenirs. Much cheaper than in Cancun. Many interesting masks are sold here, which we have not seen anywhere else during our further trip to Mexico. Later we regretted that we did not buy anything from souvenirs near Chichen Itza. If you need souvenirs, buy them here and be sure to bargain!

Souvenirs in Chichen Itza for every taste and cheaper than in Cancun

You can spend the night near the Chichen Itza complex in one of the hotels. Choose according to your taste and enjoy your vacation 😎 At the same time, you can visit the archaeological complex of Chichen Itza twice: in the afternoon to see the sights, and in the evening to come to watch the evening light and music show, for which you do not need to buy a separate ticket, the cost is already included in day tickets.

And two simpler hotels (3 stars):

We did not spend the night near the pyramids of Chichen Itza, but went further, an interesting rich program was waiting for us, so subscribe to the site's newsletter to receive notifications of new blog articles! 😎

The ancient city of Chichen Itza- Mayan heritage in; the oldest city in the Yucatan Peninsula. Located 120 km from the capital of the region - the city of Merida, and 205 km from the popular resort of Cancun. Probably everyone who has ever been to Mexico wanted to see the remains of this ancient settlement, which is ranked among the new wonders of the world. Chichen Itza is included in the version of our site.

This is a special place where the Maya Indians once lived and worshiped their gods. For unknown reasons, they were forced to leave the city, which later became the prey of the conquerors: first the Toltecs, and then the Spaniards. In the Mayan language, the sonorous name of the settlement was translated as "The mouth of the well of the Itza tribe." It is no coincidence that the word "well" appears in this phrase, because 13 cenotes, the so-called natural wells, were dug on the territory of the city.

By the way, one of these wells "Sacred Cenote" served for sacrifices to the God of Water. On the territory of the deserted settlement, the famous Temple Kukulkan, which is associated with a lot of symbolic. This is a pyramidal structure, on top of which stands a temple for sacrifices. Visitors are not allowed to go up to the temple. 4 wide staircases lead upstairs, each of which consists of 91 steps.

If you multiply the number of stairs by the number of steps and add one to the resulting number, you get the number 365, that is, exactly as many as there are days in a year. In addition, every year on the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes, an unforgettable show takes place on the stairs of the pyramid. At about 3:00 pm, the sun illuminates the front staircase so that shadows appear in the form of triangles that form the tail of a snake. Because of this, Kukulkan is sometimes called the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent. In the evenings in Chichen Itza, you can see the same artificially created light show.

Many tourists linger on a huge playground created for violent ball games. The ball of the ancient Maya was so heavy that it could only be hit with the hip. Well, as expected, each game ended with a sacrifice. According to chronology, the city was founded, perhaps, in the 7th century AD. as the religious center of the Mexican tribe. Today, the remains of buildings are conditionally divided into two parts: old and new. The most significant structures are located in the new central part. At the entrance to the complex there are souvenir shops and cafes.

The most convenient way to get to the ruins is by bus from Merida or Cancun. You can also drive to Chichen Itza with a rental car. The path runs both on a toll (shorter) and on a free road.