Chichén Itzá

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This morning I went on another tour - this one to the famous Mayan site of Chichén Itza. I had read about Chichén before and seen pictures, but actually viewing it in person was a never-to-be-forgotten experience. I actually got a tingle down my spine when I first saw the famous Castillo looming up ahead of me. (See photo) I had an excellent guide today who showed me the various buildings and recounted what is known or guessed at about the civilization that produced them. There are lots of stone-carved images and many examples of Mayan hieroglyphs. They apparently did do human sacrifices and one of the stone carvings shows a stylized eagle with a human heart in its upturned claw and snake glyphs above and below. (See photo) Unlike Ek Balam yesterday, one may not climb the stone structures of Chichén. Another difference is the number of visitors. Chichén is a physically larger site, but gets quite crowded in the afternoon. By the time I left around noon, it was starting to be busy and I had already heard guides using half a dozen different languages, including something I took to be Russian. After Chichén, my tour also took me to see a "cenote" (see photo) which is essentially a sinkhole. All the water in this flat land flows underground and gradually eats away the limestone thereby forming circular holes in the ground with fresh water at the bottom. As I mentioned in my blog two days ago, people swim in cenotes and this was my opportunity to do it too. The water is clear and cool and it was a pleasure to float around until a large group of noisy Frenchmen showed up. I should have gotten a picture of me in my swim trunks so I could share it with you, but you, my faithful readers, will just have to live with the deprivation. After returning from my outing today, I boarded a bus for the return trip to Cancun. This whole side trip to Yucatan was inspired by a book I recently read about the ancient Maya and their cities. It has certainly been a worthwhile thing to do, but tomorrow I am moving on and will continue my journey southward.

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