[Throwback] Chichen Itza

I didn't know about Chichen Itza until I arrived in Playa Del Carmen. Once I checked into my hotel, some of the wedding guests, including Amy's family and my friend Amy, were already there. They were planning to take a tour that would bring them to Chichen Itza and they asked me if I wanted to join them. I took one look at the brochure that featured a photo of an ancient pyramid and it was a no-brainer; I had to go.

Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is an ancient Mayan city in the Yucatan Peninsula. It is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. The most prominent and most significant structure here is the Temple of Kukulcan, otherwise known as El Castillo. Apparently, Kukulcan is the Mayan serpent deity similar to the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl.

Temple of Kukulcan at Chichen Itza

The Temple of Kukulcan has 91 steps on each of its four sides. If you add all that and include the temple platform at the top of the pyramid as the final step, you have a total of 365 steps, which matches the number of days in a year. (The Mayans and many other pre-Spanish Mesoamerican cultures used a 365-day calendar.) I was there almost two decades ago and back then, visitors were allowed to go up the pyramid. I learned that this is no longer allowed, which makes sense because having tourists go up and down can cause damage and erosion to this ancient structure.

Going up the Temple of Kukulcan is no longer allowed

From atop the pyramid, you get an amazing view of Chichen Itza. The Temple of the Warriors, or Templo de los Guerreros, looks beautiful from the summit.

View of the Temple of the Warriors from the top of the pyramid

We had some time to go around the grounds on our own which allowed me to see the Temple of the Warriors up close and take some photos.

Temple of the Warriors

While the highlight of our tour was the visit to Chichen Itza, we had a couple more stops. In the afternoon, we got to visit and swim in a cenote. A cenote is a sinkhole that exposes the groundwater. There are many of these in Mexico so it was great that we got to visit one.

Visiting a cenote

I knew that we would have an opportunity to swim so I brought swim shorts with me. (The cenote haas a nice locker room where guests can change, shower, and dry off.) It's good that I got to swim at least once while I was in Mexico because I didn't get the chance to swim at the beach fronting our hotel.

Swimming in the cenote

Finally, on our way back to the hotel in the late afternoon, we passed by Iglesia De San Servacio, or the San Servacio Church, in Valladolid. We were given some time to view the church and do inside. By the time we left, dusk was settling and the church lights were turned on.

Iglesia De San Servacio

Next: Final Thoughts on my Mexico Trip