Chichen Itza

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Left our camp at Merida headed to Chichen Itza. The highway was good, the weather was hot, clear sun. Took the Merida-cancun cuota had 1 toll 172 pesos. Past through a little town De Salalud and arrived at hotel pinnacle were we are dry camping on the lawn no 1/2 km from the ruins we will visit. After swimming in the lovely pool to cool down we took a walk into town. Kids every where, little store to get fresh produce and even a hardware to get replacement plugs from the last stop with the usual reversed power and under volts, melted a lot of the connections. Back to camp now another swim. The camping is cheap 250.00 pesos no services, but the pool. The setting is nice but it is on a main Road and the traffic was intense all night.
Early morning to beat the heat headed by foot to the famous ruins Chichen Itza at the mouth of the well) was a large pre columbian city built by the Mayan people of the terminal classic people. Cichen Itza was a major focal point in the Northern Mayan lowlands, The site exhibits a maltitude of architecural styles, remiminiscent of stles seen in central exico and of the Ouuc and Chenes styles of Northern Maya lowlands. The presence of central Mexican stles was once thought to have been representative of direct migration or even conquest from central Mexico, but most contempory interpretations view the presence of these non Maya styles more as the result of cultural diffusion.Chichen Itza was one of the largest Mayan cities. The city may have been the most diverse population in the Maya world, a factor that could have contributed to the variety of architectural styles at the site. Located in the eastern portion of the Yucatan state in Mexico, The northern Yucatan penninsula is arid, and the rivers in the interier all run underground. There are two large, natural sink holes, called cenotes, that could have provided plentiful water year round for the whole of Chichen, making it attractive for settlement.According to post Conquest sources (Maya and spanish) pre Maya sacrificed objects and Human beings into the cenote as a form of worship to the Mayan rain god Chaac. Chichen Iyza was a major economic power in the Northern Maya lowlands during its apogee. Participating in the water borne circum penninsular trade route through the port site of Isla cerritos on the North coast, Chichen Itza was able to obtain locally unavailable resources from distant areas such as obsidian from central Mexico and gold from souhtern central America.Between AD900 and 1050 hichen Itza expanded to become a powerful regional capitol controlling north and central Yucatan. It established Isla cerritos as a trading port.The layout of the site core developed during its earlier phase of occupation between 750 AD and 900 AD. Its final layout was developed after 900 AD and the 10th century saw the rise of the city as a regional capitol controlling the area from central Yucatan.In 1526 Spanish Conquistador Franscisco de Montejo successfully petitioned the King of spain for a charter to conquer the Yucatan. His first campaign was in 1527, they were defeated but returned in 1531 with reinforcement, again to only gain a small piece. The Mayan worked in force and by 1535 all spanish were driven from the Yucatan. By 1588 Montejo returned with a large army and with peace the Spanish and Mayan divided the lands of the Yucatan into 3 states, each today still remains the same.Very Hot today hitting the pool then on the road to Cancun.

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Photos

First Toll booth
172 pesos

Hardware store
Saved us with replacement plugs