When you come to the Yucatan, some travelers will tell you to stay away from this site, saying it is crowded and touristy. Don´t listen to them!!! It can get crowded, but get there early and it will be pretty quiet. Also, there are lots of folks selling crafts, but they are mostly not aggressive. And it is one of the most amazing places you´ll see!!!
This was one of the most important cities for the Mayans, and later for the Toltecs. The main pyramid is famous, and quite awesome. It is only one of many, and I do mean many buildings here. Some builldings are disturbing - there´s one wall with carvings of skulls, a site of human sacrifices. My understanding is that the Toltecs practiced this far more than the Mayans - if anyone has information let us know.
Other sites are quite beautiful. The carvings are fabulous. One that particularly intrigued me was the Observatory. The Mayans in particular studied the night sky very closely and were especially interested in the motion of the planet Venus and of the Sun. Chitzen Itza goes on and on, we explored for several hours and will come back if we return to this area.
The first picture is the Pyramid of Kukulkan, the second is the Observatory.
Feliz Navidad!
1 comment:
WHOOPS. It did this differently than the way I set it up. The first shot is actually the Observatory.
Post a Comment