Chichén Itza
 
“On the immense plain of the northern Yucatan Peninsula, with neither mountains nor rivers to disturb the uniformity of the landscape, among the agaves, thorny bushes and short trees, stands monumental Chichén Itza, one of the most spectacular ceremonial centers in all antiquity.”   - Michelin Green Guide
 
The morning was clear, not a cloud in the sky.   I left for Chichén Itza around 10:30am, and after getting out of Mérida (I had no idea the city was so large, nor that there were so many one way streets) it was a rather uninteresting drive all the way to the ruins.    Rather flat with tall brush all the way there, very green.
 
 “On the immense plain of the northern Yucatan Peninsula, with neither mountains nor rivers to disturb the uniformity of the landscape, among the agaves, thorny bushes and short trees, stands monumental Chichén Itza, one of the most spectacular ceremonial centers in all antiquity.”
 
Nearing the ruins is, of course, a small town where you can eat and are panhandled souvenirs – I can’t tell you how often people came up to me on the street or even at the site saying “one dollar.”   All of the souvenirs were uninteresting and copies, that I saw.
 
There were so many tourists it was unbelieveable.  I was expecting to be disappointed, that the site would be overrun with them.   Well… 
 
After paying the entry fee ($9 US, which I thought was steep for México but obviously worth it), I walked down the long trail to the open yard where stood El Castillo.   To say it was spectacular would be an understatement.   The entire complex is so incredibly spacious that it takes hours to wander through it.   It was incredibly hot – by this time, a little after 12noon and definitely nearing 100 degrees.  I climbed El Castillo and nearly fainted by the top, it is so steep.   I relaxed and surveyed the incredible view – why here?   Chichén Itza is in the middle of the jungle and I am still amazed that anyone would build anything there.
 
It wasn’t spiritual as it was amazing.   The ruins are so complete and in such good condition that you could imagine the priests, priestesses, worshippers doing their daily duties.  Most fascinating was the ball court, which was much more massive than I expected.   The hoop on either side was at least 20 feet off the ground, not easy to get a ball into.   There are murals depicting the winner – or loser? – being decapitated and whose head is in the other’s hands.    Around the corner is the sacrificial altar which has skulls carved into it.   More macabre than I imagined.
 
The sacrifice well was very, very large, and I’m surprised that any civilization could have carved this out.   It was about the size of a large house, and apparently very deep.    I have pictures so check them out…
 
I spent over 3 hours wandering the site and just taking it all in, despite the heat.  I would have gone inside El Castillo but it was too hot to wait in line, and I wanted to beat the potential rain.   I did purchase a souvenir from someone I saw carving a totem, the only one who wasn’t trying to hock souvenirs for $1.   It cost me 100 pesos, about $9.   He was very appreciative and much more reserved than the other 90 young men trying to sell to me, and the fact that he was actually making them made me feel like I had something that wasn’t a machine copy, so I felt that experience was worth it.
 
The ride home was uneventful, and now as I recount the day’s events, a heavy storm has rolled in from the southeast.   The wind is incredibly heavy, and although it is only 6.30pm, it looks like night.   All of the trees are bending in the wind and even the windows in my hotel are bending slightly, the wind is loud enough to hear through the windows.    I think I’ll eat my dinner and watch the world fall apart…