During thefifth centuryC.E. , theMayabegan constructing an incredible urban center in Mexico ’s Yucatan Peninsula : Chichén Itzá . At itspeakin 800 - 1200 C.E. , the metropolis was a thriving metropolis of 50,000 soul , not to cite a political and economic powerhouse .
Yet despite the masses ’s extremely advanced uranology acquirement , agrarian practices , build technique and more , Chichén Itzá was for the most part abandoned by the clock time the Spanish arrived in the 16th century . And while hypothesis burst as to the cause , no one knows why .
Today , 12 of Chichén Itzá’s300 - plus buildingshave been excavated and restore , attractingnearly 3 million visitors in 2018 . The ancient city is aUNESCO World Heritage Siteand , in 2007 , was nominate one of theNew 7 Wonders of the World .
Barbara Nash , an greedy long - distance tramper and explorer , recently confabulate four times over a three - twenty-four hour period time period , and advises setting aside passel of time to explore the inscrutable land site , which is roll in the hay for both its archeological richness and its gore . " The older incision , concentrate on around the Nunnery , is more beautiful , " she says . " But it is often miss for the new , more spectacular , section featuring the great pyramid . "
Whether or not you ’re planning a visit , here are seven secrets about this beautiful and mystic piazza that you may not know about .
1. You Can’t Climb El Castillo
El Castillois a 79 - ft ( 24 - meter ) terrace Pyramids of Egypt with 91 steep step on all four side , plus a 20 - foot ( 6 - meter ) temple on top . The temple is dedicate to Kukulkan , a Mayan feathered snake deity . For years , adventurous holidaymaker climb El Castillo . But in 2006 , the repository ’s managementclosed accessafter an 80 - year - old American woman plunged to her decease after reaching the top .
2. El Castillo’s Famous Snake May Have Been Unintentional
Tourists love to travel to Chichén Itzá during the spring andautumn equinoxesto watch for the snake . During the equinox , when the belated - afternoon sun hits El Castillo ’s northwestern quoin , triangular shadows cascade down the handrail and end at a ornamental ophidian ’s top dog , produce the look of a feathered serpent slither down the pyramid . While many believe this is an intentional design characteristic , as the Maya were masters in star divination , expert sayit may be a happenstance .
3. The Maya Tossed People Into the Sacred Cenote
Cenotes are water - filled sinkholes that , in the Yucatan , are theonly source of fresh water . The Maya conceive their rain god , Chaak , live under the waters in Chichén Itzá ’s Cenote Sagrado , or Sacred Cenote . Scientists say that during droughts , the Maya flip valuable objects — plus men , women and children — into this cenote as offerings to Chaak . One research worker discovered that80 percentage of the clappers establish in the Sacred Cenotebelonged to child between age of 3 and 11 .
4. There Is Likely a Hidden Cenote Under El Castillo
Chichén Itzá has four visible cenotes . But in 2016 , a Mexican scientistdeterminedthere is belike a fifth , hidden under El Castillo . It would n’t be unusual , as humble tabernacle on the grounds were build over caves and other cavities . Plus , archeologists lately discovered a cloak-and-dagger tunnel , thought to precede under El Castillo that was seal off by the Maya centuries ago . In 2018 , geologists usedelectrical electric resistance imagery ( ERI)to represent the ground under El Castillo . The results designate the presence of a body of water , indicating the 5th cenote .
5. The Maya Beheaded Winners
The Maya ’s favored sport was a game that imply throwing a heavy , rubber chunk through a stone band set high up on a bulwark . Chichén Itzá ’s formal court — one of the bombastic ever find — is 545 feet ( 166 time ) long , with wall that stretch 27 feet ( 8 meters ) high . While many long believed the captain of the losing squad was decapitate after every game , investigator say the Maya in reality lopped off the head ofthe winning team ’s captain — and sometimes the heads of the full team .
6. The Ball Court Is Acoustically Perfect
The ball court may have inspire ghastly activeness , but if you stand at one end and whisper , everyone along the entire courtcan pick up what you ’re tell , even someone at the opposite end . And these perfect acoustic are seldom affected by anything , including wind and climate condition .
7. The Maya Cut Beating Hearts Out of People’s Chests
recall that gory scene in " Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom " — the one where the non-Christian priest Mola Ram pulls a beating heart from a world ’s chest ? The Maya did that , too . Chichén Itzá is home to theTemple of the warrior , a building retrace entirely for the purpose of sacrificing these fighters . After a warrior ’s heart was removed , the Maya send it on a nearby Chac Mool sculpture . Chac Mool sculpturesare Mesoamerican pieces depicting a reclining male person hold a bowl on his torso ; the bowlful was used to harbour sacrificial liquids and other offering .
