Chichen Itza 🇲🇽

Chichen Itza—Unsplash

Chichén Itzá, an ancient ruined Mayan city. A story of serpent shadows, human sacrifices, and a mass exodus in the late 14th century. Here's a brief history of one of the most visited sites in Mexico.

The step pyramid on Chichén Itzá is El Castillo (The Castle) or Kukulkán’s Pyramid. It's 98 feet (30 meters) high. With 91 steps on each side representing the 4 seasons. And has 365 total steps marking the solar year. New discoveries continue to be made by archaeologists.

In 2015, a third pyramid was uncovered inside El Castillo. They were built over centuries. The smallest as early as the 6th century and the largest one by the 12th century. And built over each other like Russian nesting dolls. The largest pyramid is aligned with the equinoxes.

During the equinoxes, a serpent shadow slithers down the step pyramid. It aligns with the serpent head at the base. And is believed to represent the serpent deity Kukulcán. Another deity worshipped on site was the rain god, Chaac.

Large natural sink holes (cenotes) were the only permanent water source for the Maya. Human sacrifices were made to the rain god Chaac. They were sacrificed in the largest of the sink holes Cenote Sagrado (Sacred Well). Another sink hole remains hidden underneath El Castillo.

After being here for almost 1000 years, the Maya abandoned this site. The mass exodus occurred in the late 14th century. And the jungle took over for 400 years before the site was excavated in 1841. Many speculate that drought caused the exodus. The reason remains a mystery.

Will you visit this new seventh wonder of the world and experience ancient Mayan culture?