The next morning we all hopped on one of the marvellous Mexican buses with all our bags and headed to Chichen Itza, one of the most famous Mayan ruins and was of the new Seven Wonders of the World. We checked our luggage at the site, had some lunch then had a great tour with a cool guide whose name I can't remember. It was a bright, sunny day and pretty hot onsite. We saw the pyramid (Temple of Kukulcan) that was built so that on the spring and fall equinoxes, a shadow climbs (or descends) the steps of the pyramids. It looks like a snake (feathered serpent known as Kukulcan or Quetzalcoatl), moving up as the sun rises (or sets) and completing its journey exactly at the head of the snake near the top (or bottom) of the pyramid. It is so well-known now that 10s of thousands come out for the event, so it was actually a good thing that we were there on the solstice rather than the equinox.
There is also a huge ball court there. The Maya (and Aztecs and other indigenous groups) played a game, similar to raquetball or volleyball, usually lasting for several days, where the object was to get a rubber ball, weighing 5-10 lbs. into one of two stone rings extending from either of the stone walls, without using their hands. The captain of one of the teams was then sacrificed. Many speculate that it was actually the captain of the winning team - it was likely considered an honour. The ball courts are found all over Mesoamerica, but the one at Chichen Itza is by far the largest.
There is also a round observatory building called El Caracol (the snail), with doors and windows aligned to astronomical events. Wiki says: "Of 29 possible astronomical events (eclipses, equinoxes, solstices, etc), sight lines for 20 could be found in the structure. Since a portion of the tower resting on El Caracol has been lost, it is possible that the other measurements will never be ascertained to have been observed." Impressive.
After the tour, we got back on the bus and headed to Merida. It's supposed to be a great city but honestly, I was overwhelmed when we arrived. Once we entered the city, it took forever for the bus to navigate the narrow streets and heavy traffic to arrive at the bus station. On the way the view was pretty much shacks squished together and urbran sprawl. When we arrived at our hotel it was crammed packed with "art" like dismembered dolls and broken statues. Our room was on the lower floor and had no window and a smell of sewage and mould from our bathroom.
The next day some of us chose to go on a tour to more ruins (Uxmal and Kabah). The rest went to some waterfalls or cenotes. We had a lovely guide, Jesus, our first guide who is indigenous and grew up on the site. He had an unassuming and simple approach, telling us the stories of why the site was important and what the symbols meant. The information had been passed to him by his grandparents and he was clearly passionate about it, and very intelligent. It was refreshing to have such a genuine tour with someone eager to share the wonders of the site and virtually no ego :-) I felt very appreciative to be given information that was meaningful, engaging in the essence of the site. Everyone in the group delighted in this.
Uxmal's pyramids were less grand than Tikal and Chichen Itza but a lot more ornate, with stone murals everywhere, especially of Chac, the rain god. There were several long rectangular palaces. One of these may have been used as school for training healers, astrologers, shamans, and priests. It was built in layers so that we climbed up levels to get to the main quadrangles and had great views. The "Governor's Palace" occupies five acres. All buildings are exactly aligned with the points of the compass. I could really get a sense of a city here. Apparently it's one of the best restored and maintained sites. It was a powerful political and economic place in its day.
Jesus then took us for a brief look at another site close by: Kabah. There was no natural water source on site, so they built an aquaduct. An entire building was devoted to the rain god, Chac with multiple carvings of his head covering the walls. At the end of the civilization, the place was destroyed - whether by those who left, or by attackers is not known. The buildings are surrounded by rubble as well as hundreds of retrieved carvings lying in rows on the ground. It was slightly eerie.
Jesus drove us back to the hotel where I went for a quick walk to the market that evening with Karine. We were caught in a Christmas crush and the streets were full of shoppers and people selling everything from live birds to pinatas and firecrackers. LaterI faced a night alone in my creepy room. My roommate booked a room in a hotel down the road.
The next morning we left late for the jungle and Palenque. Unfortunately I left my journal at an Internet cafe that morning, so the details of my trip thus far were lost, along with all the entries I'd made since I started using it a few months ago. It was a beautiful leather bound book. Another reminder to avoid taking things I don't want to lose when I travel.
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