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 hichen Itza
The jungle was not as tall as I thought it would be. Hurricanes tend to weed out the taller trees on the Yucatan Peninsula. I rented a Jeep at the airport in Cancun and drove to the small town of Piso where the famed square, stepped pyramid, Chichen Itza is located. I arrived on the afternoon of the summer solstice and found there was evening access to the pyramid. I was one of the first to arrive for the solstice presentation and therefore had an excellent view of the pyramid. The summer moon rose directly over the top of the pyramid and the light snaked down the stair stepped side amid a small light show with an English and Spanish presentation blasting over some loudspeakers. The moon snaking down the steps of the pyramid is intentional in the design and placement of the structure. The Mayans were excellent astronomers. The display of the moon was much better than the added modern touch of light and sound. However, the next day was amazing! One must arrive early at Chichen Itza if you want pictures of the pyramid unadulterated by tourists' bodies! The pyramid dominates the landscape but is by no means the only thing worth visiting in this area. It is surrounded by temples, the ball field, and other structures. Two cenotes, natural wells, flank the outer perimeter of the area. One is famous for the being the recipient of human sacrifices, the other belonged to the priests. The temple of skulls, the observatory and the nunnery are all worthy of your attention. Of course, the ball field is known for its enigmatic game in which the winning team captain is rewarded for his victory by being ritually sacrificed to the gods.
I was fortunate enough to meet one of the park personnel who invited me to walk with him down along the side of the priest?s cenote to see a cave. He escorted me through a gate in the fence and we walked along a private path to the far side of the cenote where a small trail appeared that circled downward around the edge of the sink-hole. Slightly before reaching the water's edge, a cave opened into the side of the cenote wall. Francisco, my guide, told me the cave, or tunnel is man made and connects to both the main pyramid and to the observatory. He believes it was used by the priests to secretly travel between the observatory, the pyramid and their own quarters. This cave cannot be seen from any of the tourist viewing vantage points.
The main pyramid has lots to offer. However, leave your fear of heights at home as the stairs are quite steep and the descent from the pyramid can be quite daunting to some. I saw plenty of folks scooting down the stairs on their hind quarters! From the top of the pyramid you can see the whole archaeological area as well as miles and miles of jungle. The soft, fluffy clouds in the blue sky were the perfect accent to the jungle and the white and beige stonework rising up out of the green ocean of leaves. With a little patience, one can enter a side door at the base of one of the stairs of the pyramid and climb up into the heart of the structure. This is not a place for claustrophobics! The staircase is steep, narrow and damp with raw light bulbs lighting the path. It was not built for two-way traffic. However, in the heat of the summer, when tourists abound at Chichen Itza, the interior of the pyramid has a constant flow of people coming and going. You will encounter other tourists coming down the stairs as you are climbing up and vice versa. At the top of the stairs is a small chamber with some artifacts. I won't spoil it for you by talking about them here. Suffice it to say, I thought it well worth the cramped, hot humid spaces to see what?s in the heart of Chichen Itza!
One should plan on spending at least a full day at Chichen Itza as there is a lot of ground to cover. To thoroughly explore the grounds, you will need several days. In the summer, the weather is hot and muggy with the occasional rain storm. The town of Piso has little to offer and the food is generally substandard. If you are vegetarian, you can expect a difficult time finding anything you can eat. I?ve been twice and have found the only place I can safely eat anything vegetarian is at the Hotel Club Med. You didn't come here for the food though, so enjoy what the area does offer. There are lots of caves and other archaeological areas worth visiting, all in easy access of Piso. For the adventurous soul, Chichen Itza is a wonderful place to spend some time and the whole Yucatan Peninsula is brimming with adventure. The hiking is great, views of the jungle from the top of the pyramids are spectacular, and the people are warm and friendly.
Via con Dios, amigo!
Written by: Truette Tidwell
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