Chichen Itza - are the most famous pyramids of Mexico so good? The ancient city of Chichen Itza, Mexico: description, photo, where is it on the map, how to get Chichen Itza

The city of Chichen Itza in Latin America is located on the Yucatan Peninsula. This is the real center of the Mayan civilization. It is located 120 km from Merida and has many architectural monuments. The UNESCO organization recognized Chichen Itza as a world cultural heritage site, now this city is extremely popular among tourists.

History

The history of Chichen Itza dates back to the 5-6 centuries. This city immediately becomes the center of Yucatan, with regards to culture, politics and religion. The number of inhabitants here reached 30 thousand, the city became a center of pilgrimage, merchants and wanderers came here. First, the Mayan tribes lived here, then Chichen Itza was captured by the Toltecs.

The rulers of the Maya tribes have always increased their power and influence, so the fact of the crushing of the empire seems strange. The inhabitants simply left the city. There was drought, crop problems, famine. But even this does not explain the collapse of civilization. In the chronicles of the Spaniards, the Mayans appear as a tribe with primitive foundations, so the conquerors very quickly managed to take the situation into their own hands.

In the 15th century, cattle were grazed here, although the territory was previously crowded and rich. In the middle of the 19th century, people began to show interest in the Mayan culture. Historians and cultural figures are very interested in the place. Excavations began here, and in the 20th century it was decided to restore the original appearance of this place.

sights

We present to your attention a description of the main attractions of the Mexican city. You can also appreciate the city of Chichen Itza in the photo.

The sights of Chichen Itza are not limited to this list. There are wonderful platforms, columns, places with stunning views. The ruins of 4 colonnades form a huge rectangle called the "Group of a Thousand Columns". There are well-preserved statues representing various deities. For those interested in history, the city becomes a real boon.

How to get there?

We sorted out where Chichen Itza is, now it remains to understand how to get there. You can go to these places as part of a tour group on an excursion. It can be ordered at any hotel. It will cost less than getting there on your own, there will be an opportunity to visit several places at once, see the sights. But in this case, you will be moving with a large group of tourists, the time will be limited. You may not have time to pay due attention to details that are interesting to you. And you are unlikely to see a night light show with soundtrack. There is an option to hire a personal guide, the excursion can be individual.

Another option is to take the ADO bus to Chichen Itza. It can be done:

1) bus Cancun - Chichen Itza: ~ 3 hours on the way;

2) from Playa del Carmen, the road will take 4 hours;

3) from Merida can be reached in 1.5 hours.

Depending on the place of departure, tickets can cost 140-320 pesos, prices change regularly, so it is advisable to familiarize yourself with them in advance.

The third way to come to Chichen Itza is by renting a car. There are many sights to see along the way. If you go from Cancun, there will be 2 roads, paid and free.

You need to come to Chichen Itza as early as possible. The complex opens at 8 am and is only open until 5 pm. In the evening, there is a light show that starts at 7 (in winter) or 8 (in summer) in the evening. Tickets are not cheap, but there really is a lot to see.

The ancient city of Chichen Itza, Mexico (Yucatan Peninsula) is a storehouse of information about the life of ancient tribes, their culture, traditions and customs. It is not for nothing that the pyramid has become a wonder of the world in the new list, adopted in 2007. This is a place worth visiting for everyone, especially if you are interested in history. And also - it's beautiful and very atmospheric!

Translated from the language of the local tribes "Chichen Itza" means "The mouth of the well of the Itza tribe" or "The mouth of the well of the sorcerers of water." Chichen Itza is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the pyramid of El Castillo (Kukulcan), located here, has been declared one of the new seven wonders of the world. Chichen Itza is the most famous and at the same time the best-preserved ancient city of Yucatan.

In Mexico, the legendary city is the second most visited ancient landmarks by tourists. It is estimated to be dedicated by over a million people annually. The most numerous influx of tourists is observed twice a year, on the days of the spring (March 21-22) and autumn equinox (September 21-22). These days, there is a play of light and shadow, when, during sunset, the shadow from the corner of the stepped terraces of the El Castillo pyramid creates the illusion of a creeping snake. These days, so many people gather in Chichen Itza that it is unlikely that it will be possible to clearly see the play of light and shadow. A week before and a week after these dates, the effect of light and shadow remains almost the same.

At the same time, recently, due to the enormous attendance of Chichen Itza, many note that the ancient city has turned into such a tourist and commercialized center that during its visit there is no opportunity to feel the magic of ancient culture due to the crowds of tourists and sellers. souvenirs located on the territory of the complex. Chichen Itza received the greatest fame in the world in 2012, when, according to the Mayan calendar, the end of the world was supposed to come on December 21. A huge number of people from different countries rushed to Mexico in Chichen Itza to meet the significant date. Some TV companies broadcast live from the scene. The cost of one night in some hotels located near the archaeological complex reached several thousand dollars. To find Chichen Itza without crowds of tourists, it is better to come to the opening of the complex at 8 am, when the excursion groups have not yet arrived.

Chichen Itza map

The land on which Chichen Itza is located was transferred to state ownership on March 30, 2010. On this day, the deal was completed, after negotiations between Governor Yvonne Ortega Pacheco and landowner Hans Jürgen Thies Barbachano, on the purchase of an 83 hectare plot of land on which the ancient city is located, for $ 17.8 million. It was reported that the landowner himself insisted on the sale, so that preserve the heritage of the Yucatan.

History

It is not possible to fully reliably describe the history of Chichen Itza, since the policy of the Spanish conquerors included the destruction of manuscripts and the murder of the Mayan priests. It is believed that people mastered this place in the 4th century, and in the 7th century, the first structures began to be built and an urban community appeared. Maya Indians live here from 7th to 10th century. In the 10th century, it was captured by the Toltecs, who did not begin to destroy the city, but absorbed part of its culture into themselves. It was during the reign of the Toltecs that Chichen Itza became the most powerful city on the Yucatan Peninsula. In the middle of the 11th century, Chichen Itza became the capital of the Toltec state. In 1178, the city was captured by the united army of three city-states - Mayapan, Uxmal and Itzmal, led by Hunak Keel. After 1194, the city was completely deserted for unknown reasons and overgrown with jungle.
The mysterious city was rediscovered to the world by archaeologists in 1920. The ancient structures were cleared and reconstructed, the archaeological complex began to attract tourists.

Chichen Itza attractions

Unfortunately, since the beginning of 2006, climbing ancient structures has been prohibited, with the exception of a few specially marked places.
El Castillo Pyramid (Pyramid of Kukulcan)

The main attraction of Chichen Itza is the El Castillo pyramid and this is no accident. When Chichen Itza was invaded by the Toltecs, they combined their knowledge of cosmology with that of the Maya, resulting in the emergence of El Costillo. The pyramid is dedicated to Kukulkan, the god of wind and rain in the form of a feathered serpent with a human head. Built a thousand years ago, El Castillo is the main symbol of Chichen Itza and possibly the entire Yucatan. It is one of the most famous and most visited structures in Mexico in pre-Columbian America. In 2007, the monument was included in the list of the new seven wonders of the world.
The architecture of the 24-meter pyramid is filled with symbolism connected with the cosmology and the calendar of the ancient Indians. Four stairs leading to the top and the central platform have 91 steps each, which gives a total of 364. This corresponds to the number of days in a year. On each side of the pyramid there are 18 terraces (9 on each side of the steps), which is equal to the number of months in the Mayan calendar. The Mayan calendar consisted of two cycles: 365 day shiupoualli and 260 day tonalpoalli. These two cycles coincided every 52 years. There are 52 stone bas-reliefs on each of the four sides of the pyramid. Which personify the coincidence of these cycles every 52 years.

Ball court Juego de Pelita

There are a total of nine ball courts in Chichen Itza. The main and largest of them is Juego de Pelita. It is the largest and best-preserved Indian ball court in all of Mesoamerica. It is 168 meters long and 70 meters wide. The site has a unique acoustic effect, if you speak at one end of the site, then everything will be heard at the other. When you clap your hands, the clap will echo, which some have compared to the cry of a bird. It is believed that the Indians accidentally achieved this effect during construction, but when they discovered it, they brought it to perfection.
How the Mayans, Toltecs and Aztecs played ball
How exactly they played the ball and what were the rules is not reliably known, but most historians agree that the irga looked like this.

The game was played with a rubber ball (in some cases it is claimed to be a human head), which could only be touched with knees, elbows and a carved bat. The ball had to be thrown into one of the rings that were on the left and right walls, one on each side. The hole diameter of the ring was slightly larger than the size of the ball. The field was divided in half and the players of each team had to be in their own half of the field. The winner was the team that hit the ring with the ball, and each hit on the ring itself was counted as a penalty point. Since it was extremely difficult to get into the ring, the irga could last for hours, and sometimes the result was determined by the number of penalty points, since not one of the teams was able to score the ball into the ring. At the end of the game, the captain of the winning team chopped off the head of the captain of the losing team, and sometimes the heads were chopped off for the entire losing team. Sometimes the game had a ritual meaning in order for the priests to make a certain decision.
To the right of the ball court is the Temple of Skulls (Tzompantli). The name comes from the image of skulls carved on a stone platform. Near this temple, severed heads were planted on a pole in a row.

Temple of the Warriors (Templo de los Guerreros)

The Temple of Warriors is a five-step pyramid, 11.5 meters high, at the top of which is the building of the temple. It consists of a front hall and a sanctuary, the entrance to which is decorated with a portal with wriggling serpents carved out of stone. The sanctuary contains a low stone altar in the form of a table supported by small human figures. In the open area of ​​the sanctuary there is a stone idol of the demon Chak-Mool in the form of a reclining man with a tray on his stomach for sacrifices. It is believed that most often the heart was placed in it. The Temple of Warriors itself is surrounded on three sides by columns made in the form of warriors, hence the name of the temple.

Al-Karakol Observatory

El Caracol is the largest discovered ancient astronomical complex in the Yucatan Peninsula. From the observatory, the Indians observed celestial objects, calculated the spring and autumn equinox days, the summer solstice, and it is likely that it was here that they created their predictions. The observations were made through special holes made in the circular vault of the observatory. The observatory's round vault was rebuilt several times during the operation of the observatory.
The observatory was named El Caracol, as this Spanish word means a snail, which is associated with a spiral staircase inside El Caracol.

Sacred cenote
The Yucatan Peninsula is a limestone plain without rivers and streams. The only source of fresh water was cenotes, in which groundwater came to the surface. Cenotes are karst formations - lakes, wells, and sometimes entire cave complexes with underground rivers and, at times, access to the sea.
But the Indians did not always use cenotes to obtain water, in some cases they played a ritual role. Donations were thrown here and human sacrifices were made in them. It was believed that the cenote is a kind of portal through which one can get to God. After certain ceremonies, the priests sent the "chosen ones" to meet with God, and more often they were not agreeable people and for a long time watched the victim so that she would not be on the surface of the water, helping her to go to God with the help of stones. Taking into account the fact that there was not a small distance from the surface of the water to the ground and the fact that the priests closely watched that their tribesman would get to the god for a long time, it was practically impossible to get out of the cenote. The only known Indian who somehow got out of the Sacred Cenote is Hunak Keel. Subsequently, under his leadership in 1178, Chichen Itza was captured. Sacred cenote of Chichen Itza, located 5-10 minutes walk from El Castillo. Professor of Harvard University and American Consul in Merida, Herbert Thompson researched the Sacred Cenote from 1904 to 1910, and recovered from there many ancient artifacts from gold, jade, ceramics, rubber, obsidian, as well as human remains. Subsequently, most of the discovered treasures ended up in the Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology at Harvard University.
Some guided tours do not include a visit to the Sacred Cenote.

Osario
Osario translated from Spanish means a cemetery. The Osario at Chichen Itza is not a large stepped pyramid with a temple on top. Like El Castillo, it has four faces with stairs on each side. But unlike El Castillo, Osario has a hole in the center that leads into a cave 12 meters deep below ground level. This cave was dug up by Herbert Thompson in the 19th century and found several artifacts and skeletons in it. Thompson called the pyramid the Tomb of the High Priest (Tumba del Gran Sacerdote), since then it has two names.

Chichen Itza hotels

For serious lovers of historical monuments, it is recommended that you avoid a one-day visit to Chichen Itza and spend at least one night in a nearby hotel. This must be done for two reasons: firstly, you will have the opportunity to visit the archaeological complex in the morning, when there are no tourist groups yet, and secondly, you will see the sound and light show that takes place in the evenings.
In the vicinity of Chichen Itza there are a number of hotels of different price categories. Chichen Itza search for cheap hotels

Chichen Itza how to get there

Chichen Itza is a popular tourist complex; it is not difficult to get to it. This can be done both independently and as part of a tourist group. Usually, with an excursion tour to Chichen Itza, visits to several attractions are also included, for example, it can be: cenote Ik-Kil and the city of Valladolid.
There are pros and cons when visiting Chichen Itza as part of a tourist group. The advantages are that as part of a tourist group, you will visit several places at once, and all this will most likely cost you less if you could travel by ADO bus on your own, buy a ticket to the archaeological complex and possibly hire a guide. The main disadvantage when visiting as part of a tour group is that you will inspect Chichen Itza along with a bunch of other tourists and the time for inspection will be strictly regulated. There will also be no opportunity to attend the evening show of sound and light.
How to get to Chichen Itza on your own
From Cancun by ADO bus, the journey takes about three hours, the price is 236 pesos (about $ 20) one way.
From Playa del Carmen by ADO bus, the journey takes about four hours, the price is 316 pesos one way.
From Merida by ADO bus, the journey takes about an hour and a half, the price is 142 pesos one way.
Fares may change, so it is better to check them on the company's website http://www.ado.com.mx.

Chichen Itza travel photos

Entrance to the Chichen Itza archaeological site.

Near the entrance to the complex, there are Mexicans dressed in the likeness of Maya Indians, with whom you can take pictures.

The main attraction of Chichen Itza, the El Costillo pyramid, is also called the pyramid of Kukulkan, as it was built in honor of Kukulkan, the god of wind and rain in the form of a feathered serpent with a human head.

The head of the snake against the background of the El Costillo pyramid.

A staircase leading to the top of the El Costillo pyramid. Direct access and the ability to climb the pyramid were closed in 2006.

El Costillo pyramid.

El Costillo pyramid.

El Costillo pyramid.

El Costillo pyramid.

The head of the feathered serpent and the pyramid of El Costillo.

The main ball court in Chichen Itza (Juego de Pelota), there are nine of them in the city. It is the largest and best-preserved ball court in all of Mesoamerica.

The ring into which the players had to score the ball.

El Caracol observatory

The Spanish word El Caracol means a spiral staircase. There is a spiral staircase inside the observatory.

Temple of the Warriors (Templo de los Guerreros)

Chichen Itza is a very tourist place and it is very problematic to take a picture against the background of the El Castillo pyramid without tourists. And even at the time of the closing itself, I could not do it.

Many vendors working in the Chichen Itza area come to work with their kids.

The archaeological complex of Chichen Itza is very commercialized today. On its territory, as well as nearby, there are many sellers of souvenirs, ponchos, sambreros, etc.

In the north of Yukotan, in Mexico, there are unique buildings of the ancient city of the Indian people Itza, who once declared their power and subjugated other tribes. "Chichen Itza" means in the Mayan language - "At the mouth of the well Itza" (itz - a sorcerer, ha - water). In the old manuscript code of Chilam-Bolam, consisting of nine collections, another, more ancient name of the city is mentioned, but because of the forgotten spelling it is not possible to decipher it exactly.

Historical background

Presumably, the city of Chichen Itza was founded around 455, during the heyday of the Mayan civilization, which became famous for its culture, architecture and quite significant, for that time, knowledge in mathematics and astronomy.

The buildings erected in Chichen Itza can be divided into two parts. One of them is the construction of the 6th-7th centuries in the n. NS. This is the culture of the ancient Maya. Buildings characteristic of the Toltec culture belong to a different group. They captured the city in the 10th – 11th centuries AD. and after a while they made it their capital. But already in 1178 Chichen Itza was literally defeated by the troops of three united cities: Itzmal, Mayapan, Uxmal under the command of Huanak Keel.

The Spanish invading Mexico burned Indian manuscripts. But, despite the loss of historical data, archaeologists still managed to establish that in the XIII century the city was plundered, and could no longer continue to influence the economy of the nearby regions. In this regard, Chichen Itza left the rich and noble townspeople, and after them the city was left by the rest of the inhabitants. The Spanish conquerors discovered an absolutely empty city, around which there were small Indian settlements, their inhabitants treated the ruins of the ancient city as a sacred place. Centuries have passed, but the exact reason for the transformation of the once mighty city into an abandoned and forgotten by literally everyone has not yet been established.

Sights of the Holy City

On the territory of the ancient city of Chichen Itza, archaeologists worked for a long time, who discovered the unique structures of the Indians to the whole world:

1. The famous temple of Kukulkan.

2. Jaguar Temple with unique wall paintings.

3. The Temple of Warriors with a base of 40 m, erected on a 4-step pyramid.

4. A group of a thousand columns - the ruins of 4 colonnades arranged in a rectangular shape.

5. Karakol is an ancient observatory.

6. Seven stadiums built for ball games and competitions, the largest being 135 meters long.

7. Sacred cenote - a natural well, 50 m deep, was necessary for making sacrifices to the god of forests and fields Yumkash.

Near the historical monuments, statues of the gods were discovered, made with stylization characteristic of the Mayan civilization, various reliefs, which at one time were adornments of buildings and religious centers, as well as artisan products.

The main temple of the city

The main structures of Chichen Itza were built in the period later called Mexican. The Toltecs, who seized the area, erected a temple, which became the main one. It was created in honor of the Toltec god Kukulkan or the Feathered Serpent. Today it has become a real symbol of Mexico.

The building is a nine-step pyramid, 24 m high. Its base is square and very massive. The planning of the temple used the astronomical knowledge of the Indians, as well as the number of their calendar cycles. There are four staircases with balustrades leading to the top of the structure, which start from the head of a snake. The play of light on the days of the equinox allows one to observe the illusion that a powerful Serpent is slowly emerging from a secret hiding place.

The Kukulkan temple has four entrances. The main one, oriented to the north, has two columns in the form of snakes. There are exactly the same inside. This is a creepy place. Many years ago, human lives were sacrificed here.

Surprisingly, in the pyramid under the temple there is one more, the same, nine-stage, only smaller. The entrance to it was discovered by scientists quite recently. The discovered artifact that was hidden there is truly priceless. This is the symbol of Mayan power - the Jaguar Mat, the stone throne of the Supreme Ruler in the form of a jaguar. Inlaid with 73 jade discs, which are spots on the hide. Supposedly the first master of the throne was Topiltsin Quetzalcoatl, the progenitor of the Toltecs.

To preserve the heritage left by the ancient people, the Yukotan government made a deal with the owner of the land. 83 hectares were purchased, along with the sacred city. UNESCO has awarded Chichen Itza the status of a World Cultural Heritage Site. Its attractions are visited by tourists from all over the world, and for those who are interested in the history of the civilizations of our planet, this is a very important place, with a huge amount of unexplored information.

(Chichen Itza) is an ancient city founded by the Maya Indians in the 6th century. The Chichen Itza pyramids are one of the most visited places in the Yucatan. The very name Chichen Itza from the Mayan language translates as “ Mayan well”, Due to the fact that there are 13 cenotes (natural wells) on the territory of the ancient city. One of them, the Sacred Cenote, served as a sacrifice to the Rain God.

In the X century, the city of Chichen Itza was captured by the Toltecs, and in 1194 the city was deserted. Why the residents left Chichen Itza is still not known.

The ancient city and pyramids of Chichen Itza located on the Yucatan Peninsula, 205 km from the famous resort and 120 km from Merida. Chichen Itza is one of the most popular and most visited attractions in the Yucatan Peninsula. Almost all tourists who have come to rest in Mexico, in Cancun, consider it their duty to visit the archaeological complex of Chichen Itza, so there are always a lot of people here. It is advisable to come to the opening, then there is a chance to walk around the complex alone 😎

The ancient city and pyramids of Chichen Itza are protected by UNESCO.

How to get to the pyramids of Chichen Itza, Mexico

1. By bus. From Cancun, from Merida buses of the ADO company go. The cost of the ticket Cancun - Chichen Itza 80 - 140 pesos (depending on the class of the bus). The journey takes 3-4 hours. Ticket price Merida - Chichen Itza 50-80 pesos, travel time 1.45 - 2.5 hours
2. Can buy organized excursion to Chichen Itza, group or individual. The tour can be booked at any hotel or agreed in advance with an individual guide. To order an excursion, just follow the link.
3. On rented car ... As for me, this is the best way to get to Chichen Itza. You can also see other sights along the way. Read how to rent a car in Mexico in Cancun. From Cancun, you can get to Chichen Itza by toll or free roads.

Opening hours and cost of visiting the archaeological complex of Chichen Itza

The Chichen Itza complex is open to the public from 8:00 to 17:00. The evening light show takes place at 19:00 in winter and at 20:00 in summer.

Ticket prices to Chichen Itza: ticket to Chichen Itza consists of two parts - a ticket for 125 pesos and a ticket for 57 pesos, total entrance costs 182 pesos ($ 14.5)... These are the most expensive pyramids on which we have been in Mexico 😎

Parking near Chichen Itza is also paid - 22 pesos (just under $ 2).

We knew we had to get to Chichen Itza as early as possible, so we left at 6:30 in the morning! It's good that the time difference with Moscow is 10 hours, in the first days we got up at 6 in the morning without any problems.

We drove to Chichen Itza on a toll road to save time. Traveling along the Cancun - Chichen Itza toll road is not at all cheap: we paid twice, the first time 251 pesos, the second time 61 pesos, totaling 312 pesos (almost 25 dollars !!!) ....

... and for what? For a little less than 200 km. We drove these 200 km in 3 hours, I don’t know how people manage to pass them in 2 hours? We do not break the rules, we did not exceed the speed, we stopped once at a gas station for 5 minutes.

We arrived at the entrance to the Chichen Itza archaeological complex at 9:30 in the morning.
There were already independent travelers' cars in the parking lot, but not as many as I thought. We bought tickets, and the guides began to pester us, but we, of course, refused them. At the entrance to the complex there is a toilet (free), souvenir shops, a cafe.

The first thing that catches your eye at the entrance to the archaeological zone is the main attraction of Chichen Itza - (or El Castillo, translated from Spanish "castle").

This nine-tiered pyramid, 24 meters high, at the top of which is the temple in which sacrifices were performed. The pyramid of Kukulkan is symmetrical and has four staircases. And each staircase consists of 91 steps. If you multiply the number of steps 91 by the number of stairs 4 and add one (the upper platform), we get the number 365 - the number of days in a year!

The pyramid of Kukulkan is also known as feathered serpent pyramid ... Every year, on the days of the equinox, on March 20 and September 21, many people come to the pyramid of Kukulkan to look at one very interesting phenomenon: at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, the sun illuminates the main staircase of the pyramid so that shadows are formed - triangles, together like a snake's tail, along As the sun moves, the triangles go out and form the effect of a snake crawling downward.

By the way, you can watch this spectacle at the nightly light show.

Go to "A group of a thousand columns" , here is a place called the market.

In general, in this part of the archaeological zone of Chichen Itza, it is rather sparsely populated and calm. And the sun does not bake, it is nice to walk or relax under the crown of trees.

Attracts attention ball field ... This is one of the largest fields on the territory of the complex, its length is 166 m, width is 68 m, height of walls is 12 m. Stone rings are fixed at a height of 8m. The Mayans played ball here. The game was called "pot-ta-pok", played with a rubber ball, which weighed about 4 kg and could only be hit with the hip. It is assumed that the game ended with a sacrifice.

You cannot climb the pyramid of Kukulkan and other ruins. They say that earlier it was possible to climb the pyramid, but then this business was banned. Either someone fell from the pyramid, or they are simply afraid that the pyramid will deteriorate and collapse ... Therefore, the walk through the Chichen Itza complex did not take us much time - only two hours.







When we headed for the exit, at about 11:30, crowds of tourists began to come to meet us, there were many Russian-speaking groups.

Watch a short video from this amazing place 😎

Local merchants have already laid out their stalls with souvenirs. By the way, here you can buy souvenirs at a reasonable price. Much cheaper than Cancun. Many interesting masks are sold here, which we have not seen anywhere else during our further travel to Mexico. Later we regretted that we had not bought anything from souvenirs near Chichen Itza. If you need souvenirs, buy them here and be sure to bargain!

You can spend the night near the Chichen Itza complex in one of the hotels. Choose according to your taste and enjoy your vacation 😎 At the same time, you can visit the archaeological complex of Chichen Itza twice: in the afternoon to see the sights, and in the evening to come to see the evening light and music show, for which you do not need to buy a separate ticket, the cost is already included in day tickets.

And two hotels are easier (3 stars):

We did not spend the night near the Chichen Itza pyramids, but drove on, an interesting rich program was waiting for us, so subscribe to the site's newsletter to receive notifications about new blog articles! 😎

The ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza made one of the strongest impressions on me in Mexico. Even the huge waves of the Zikatel surfer spot, which are simply dangerous for even the most professional surfers, did not leave such vivid, mind-disturbing memories. And all because of the history of this place, to which I managed to touch (in the literal sense of the word, although in general nothing can be touched here).

The ancient city of Chichen Itza has a very colorful history, which is full of bloodshed, wars and, with all this, a tremendous economic boom. Most of the structures that you will find here in ruin format were erected about 1200-1300 years ago. Not so long ago, if you think that the city itself lived several thousand years before.

In Mexico, Chichen Itza is the main attraction of Mayan culture. There is, of course, also the amazing Tulum on the coast, stunning and Coba, but Chichen Itza looks like the mother of all cities.

History

Not everyone knows that not only the Mayans lived in Chichen Itza, but also the Toltecs (also Indians). Those pyramids that you see are not Mayan buildings, but are in a Mayan city. No one knows for sure why the city of Chichen Itza (and Tikal) was abandoned about 1200 years ago. Some archaeologists talk about drought, others about war, and others about an epidemic of a terrible disease, from which more than half of the inhabitants died, and the resistant virus of which can still be buried under a layer of soil under the pyramids.

By the way, the Toltecs, according to scientists, did not drive out and did not take by force the city of Chichen Itza from the Mayans. On the contrary: they, like us, also found the ruins of an abandoned city and began to restore it. So, Chichen Itza was first abandoned by the Mayans for some unknown reason, and then, 1200 years ago, by the Toltecs.

So, the Toltecs are not Maya, but the people of the Uto-Aztec family, and it was under them that most of the attractions of the city of Chichen Itza were built, which will be discussed below. Surprisingly, all avenues and brochures in all cities in Mexico have the word Mayan written on them, not Toltec.

Where is

Chichen Itza is located on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. Neighboring cities -, and - are also tourist areas. The nearest international airport is located in Cancun, it can be used for flights to Europe or even direct flights to Moscow.

On the map you will see marked the main attraction of Chichen Itza - the pyramid of Kukulkan. To the left of it is the entrance to Chichen Itza (100 meters) and parking for cars.

How much is admission

The entrance ticket to Chichen Itza costs about 13 USD, paid strictly in Mexican currency, in the amount of 204 MXN. Admission is free for children under 12 years old. The evening show takes place at 20:00, and for those who have already bought a ticket to Chichen Itza, it is free.

How to get there

To get to Chichen Itza, you will have to take an ADO bus from Cancun (2.5 hours on the way, 15 USD) or from Merida (1 hour on the way, 7 USD). You can rent a car and get here along the following route, for example, from Cancun:

Working hours

Chichen Itza is open every day, seven days a week, from 8:00 to 18:00. The evening show takes place a little later, at 20:00, but not every day. Basically, it's animation, sometimes fireworks.

sights

Chichen Itza has many temple ruins, public buildings and even residential buildings. The outlines of the streets have also been preserved, thanks to these ruins, you too can feel like a real resident of the city who just walks from the market to his home.

Among the main attractions, it is worth highlighting these.