Cancun – Chichen Itza

Unlike Teotihuacan, Chichen Itza is firmly implanted into the global psyche. Everyone’s seen pictures of the perfectly proportioned pyramid in the middle of the jungle. It’s a world icon and is rightly up for inclusion in the modern “Seven Wonders of the World”. But what’s it like up close?

After the success of my trip to Teotihuacan, I decided to do the same thing for Chichen Itza. I hired a private car and off I went. Unlike Teotihuacan, however, Chichen Itza is a long way from my base. By exceeding all the speed limits, we were able to drive to the monument in just over two hours.

As with Teotihuacan, by going private, I was able to avoid the queues. When I arrived, there were hardly any cars in the car park and even less people inside. I virtually had the place to myself. Excellent! Just as I was leaving, I stumbled into the tourist crush. As I was walking out, tour group number 67 was coming in. There were hundreds and hundreds of people arriving, just as I was leaving. Sure, it was expensive to come alone, but SO worth it!

Anyway, once you arrive, the first thing that confronts you is the main temple of the complex. The Spanish called it The Citadel and the name has stuck. It’s a masterpiece of architecture. It’s perfectly proportioned and sits calmly in the middle of a field.

The design of the building reflects the astronomical system of the Mayans. Each of the four staircases has 91 steps, with an extra common step on top. Together, they are 365 steps – one for each day of the year. There are a number of other numerically significant features, but you really don’t think about this when you stare at the impressive white building.

One feature that’s hard to avoid is the acoustics of the building. A side effect of the design is that if you clap your hands in front of the stairs, the sound is reflected back down as a sharp echo. I knew this, because every single tour group that came through made a point of demonstrating it. The end result, was hours and hours of people making annoying clapping noises. I’m sure the Mayans didn’t design it this way, but I guess the tour guides have to show the tourists something!

Up until a few years ago, you were able to climb the stairs to the top of the pyramid. Sensibly, the curators have stopped this. Given the huge number of people who visit and the steepness of the steps, it must have been a nightmare climbing up and down the pyramid. It was also doing damage to the monument. A rope was attached to help people climb up and down. It has worn a very deep groove into the steps, which is not good. The steps were pristine for a thousand years or so, now dopey tourists have worn a hole in the steps. Not good.

The main attraction at Chichen Itza, but it’s by no means the only one. The sight is enormously large. In the intense heat, I wandered around all the different locations. This took me about three hours. It’s humungous.

Another building of note is the ball court. The Mayans played a game similar to soccer that involved a rubber ball, body padding and a whole lot of running around. The court itself is apparently the best example in the world. It’s impressively large and impressively decorated.

A bit further on and you come across a sacred cenote. It’s basically a sink hole in the limestone ground. It looks like it was used to chuck people and objects into. It’s a nasty green colour, but there’s a handy snack bar next by!

The other building that I thought was rather cool is called the Observatory. It’s a large round building on top of an even large platform. Seeing how every other building is square, seeing a round one is a good change. The nearby “Nunnery” is also very cool.

So, did Chichen Itza live up to its reputation? Not quite. The site is impressive for the number of buildings and the size of the pyramid, but the little details are a bit lacking. Compared to Borobudur or Angkor Wat, it’s nowhere near as ornate or elaborate. The main temple of Angkor is undoubtedly a much more impressive sight. That’s not to say that’s it’s not impressive. It definitely is, but perhaps a bit too hyped.

My entire reason for coming to Cancun was to see Chichen Itza. It was definitely worth the trip. The Mayans were obviously a very advanced people who have left an amazing legacy. Just get there early – the crowds can be oppressive!