Friday, July 5, 2013

The So Called Maya Garden Of Eden - Chichen Itza

By Frank D. Gardner


In the sixth century, the Maya built the Chichen Itza in the Yucatan Peninsula and is among the biggest tourist attractions in the country.

Chichen Itza is an ancient archeological site in the Yucatan Peninsula and where you can find Mayan ruins such as temples and pyramids.If you will visit these ruins you would see that they have made their structures based without ornaments and based on a sober style.

After that, the military buildings were erected by the Toltecs that took Chichen Itza to neglect and oblivion.

The Magnificent Chichen Itza

The Pyramid of Kukulcan is the main building and it has a square base of fifty five meters and approximately reaching twenty four meters up.

The pyramid appears to be the Mayan Calendar's representation. The name Chichen Itza means "at the edge of the well with the Itza" deriving from Mayan roots. The Pyramid of Kukulcan is among the main archeological sites in the Peninsula of Yucatan, in the municipality of Tinum, in the State of Yucatan, constructed within the year 525 AD. Chichen Itza was becoming the region most important political center at the end of the classic period.

Historians believe that the main buildings of Chichen Itza were messed up after the 11th century and then renewed, because of its long suffering of violence between ethnicities.

The Pyramid Of Kukulkan - The Main Building Of Chichen Itza

The chief building on the Chichen Itza esplanade is the Kukulcan pyramid, referred to as "The Castle", one of many most exceptional buildings of the Mayan architecture.

It has a rectangular temple on its top and four sides. The pyramid is twenty-four meters high and is built on a fifty-five meters platform. You can find ladder on each side reaches the temple.

Within the temple tourists find the sculpture of Chac Mool along with a red painted jaguar throne.

The building or pyramid is the Mayan calendar's representation, because each side has 91 steps, which multiplied by four produce 364, plus one, represented by the platform, make 365 steps, such as the days of the calendar of the Mayan which made anthropologist to believe that the pyramid was built and dedicated to their Sun god.

Where the ball game was actually played

The pyramid in addition has a special location under the astronomy when the early spring and fall arrive as the visitor can see the 'Feathered Serpent' descending the stairs in the direction of the Sacred Cenote, on a play of light and shadow.

The ball game was long viewed as a ceremony where they depicted a duality of Venus, the wind and the sun. So many think that the losing team was sacrificed as it had been defeated, while others think that the winning team was sacrificed mainly because winners had the honor to be sacrificed.

Only the best warriors could participate in the ball game. Kings and priests have an area to watch the game.

The Temple of the Jaguar

There's a series of stone columns with carved snakes and jaguars figures inside the temple. Also, there are remains inside the temple that describes the story of a big war.

Temple of Skulls

Highlight of the Temple of Skulls

In addition, the temple of the skulls has a 'T' like platform which is carved with skulls that are like skulls of humans. Another that can be found are the representation of eagles flying toward human torsos to devour. Heads of people killed are used to be placed in this temple platform.

Platform of Venus

What these days is recognized as Venus, the sun and the moon, were fundamental stars for the Mayans. There are images of the gods' mother of the 'Coatlicue' and the snake woman 'Cihuacoatl' on the platform of Venus.

Sacred Cenote

The Maya's centre of religious activities was the sacred cenote which measures 35 meters deep and 65 meters in diameter. Ceremonial offerings to the god of water, consisting mainly of gold pieces, core and fabric were thrown by the Mayans to the sacred cenotes.

It was in the year 2007 that Chichen Itza was listed as amongst the new seven wonders of the world. In ending this article, we conclude that the Maya had a knack for architecture, as in their prime time they designed remarkable structures using only the materials at their disposal right at that moment.

An indication of their wonderful intellect and talent to build tends to be that the buildings are still in great condition while still delighting people. Their constructions became a part of the new wonders of the world because they are proven to be wonderful.

Chichen Itza is among the very best attractions that define this glorious country, bringing in lots of people from around the globe for what's regarded by the government an advantage to Mexico's economy.

You can visit Chichen Itza in an amazing flight tour.




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