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Antigua, Guatemala, 15 April 2003

Chichen-Itza, Caye Caulker & Livingston

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2004-09-15 12:10:11

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This is the second part of our Maya tour through Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras. It covers Chichen-Itza, Tulum, Caye Caulker and Livingston.

Chichen-Itza is one of the world's most famous Maya ruins. One of the things it is famous for is the equinox shadow, when the side of the pyramid is projected on the stairs that go up de northern side of the pyramid and it looks like a giant snake is descending from the pyramid. At the bottom of the stairs is a giant stone carving of a snake's head to make the appearance complete.

As it happened this event was visible on the 20th, 21st and 22nd of March, just as we arrived in Chichen-Itza. Unfortunately the inner chamber (the other highlight of these ruins) was closed because of this event.

A well restored part of Chichen-Itza is the ball court: a place where a kind of ball game was played, the ball had to be passed through a hole in a stone wheel. The winner (or loser according to other accounts) got the privilege of getting his head cut off!!! This scene is very explicitly depicted in the carvings around the ball court.

The ancient Mayas had made a habit of human sacrifices. Places for such sacrifices often have little gutters for the blood to flow through so that it could be collected. Priest would hold the bodies of the decapitated with feet up so that all the blood would flow out. Such events always took place in public arena's where thousands could sit and watch.

Not far from Chichen Itza there is also a cave where the Mayas held ceremonies of some sort and made offerings. It is a long underground walk to a hidden chamber (no longer hidden of course) where you can see lots of pottery left there by the ancient Mayas as well as an underground river.

From Chichen-Itza we went on to Tulum, whose Maya ruins are uniquely located on the coast but are a far cry from the temples and pyramids we have seen before in Chichen-Itza, ...