Here we are at our first World Wonder! There are 9 that we will visit while on the world cruise. Chichen Itza is the home of the Maya Empire. We are experiencing ancient ruins, and temples of the Yucatán peninsula.
This was a 13 hour day that began with a 5:30 a.m. wake-up call. It was a long exhausting day!
We started out on a 45 minute fairly rough ferry ride to Playa Del Carmen and another 2 1/2 hour bus ride to the site of the World Wonder. And we had the same trip back! This is why it’s a long day!
I’ll be quoting some of our friend Laurie’s book throughout our journey about many sites we visit. So if I say per Laurie’s research, that’s where it’s from! She did an amazing job preparing us for this journey.
Per Laurie’s research: “It was named after the cenotes located there, the chichen or “mouth of the wells” and for the ltza, the Mayan tribe known as the “water witches” who lived in the region. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988 and voted a World Wonder in 2007. The earliest buildings here date back to around the 5th or 6th century (I couldn’t get a definitive number!), while the larger, most familiar structure, El Castillo (The Castle) was built several hundred years later.
At its peak around 35,000 people lived at Chichen ltza but by the 13th century the city had been abandoned. Unfortunately you can no longer climb the steps of El Castillo but you should hopefully be able to see the carving of a plumed serpent at its top which is symbolic of Quetzalcoatal also known as Kukulcan, one of the major deities of the culture. The pyramid stands 79′ (24 m) in height and was built with 91 steps on each of its four sides which when added to the one step at the top equals the 365 days of the solar year. This religious, political and commercial center was re-discovered in 1841 and archaeologists have been excavating there ever since.”
Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. He gave us some insights into the lives of the Mayans back in the beginning. There were many human sacrifices beginning with small children born on special days of the year. The Mayan priests sacrificed children to petition the gods for rain and fertile fields by throwing them into sacred sinkhole caves, known as “cenotes.” The caves served as a source of water for the Mayans and were also thought to be an entrance to the underworld. Therefore they buried their dead because they believed in the afterlife.
Another type of sacrifice was after the Pok a Tok ball game. Our guide stated through pictures of drawings in walls in the early ages that the winner, which is sometimes the kings and high lords, was beheaded and sacrificed to the gods. Makes none wonder why they would want to win! This “game” is played twice a year!
After an hour of educational overload, we headed off to have an authentic Mexican lunch. It was very good. Fajitas, chimichangas and tacos with soft corn shells that reminded me of street tacos. Our group of 10 had a celebratory shot of tequila, before heading back to the bus for our long return trek to the ship.
During the last 1/2 hour of the trip, on a windy, rainy, ocean swirling evening, the lights and power to the ferry went out. We did have some emergency lighting that was good! After a time of listening to workers running up and down stairs to the engine room, lights and power to the engines came back on. I think it was out no more than 15 minutes but a little unnerving for that 15 minutes. The good news is that everyone was so tired we dont think they had time to panic if they wanted to.
Back at the ship, we had a quick bite to eat and went to the room and showered. Too much heat and rain wiped us out! However, it was an amazing experience and so blessed to be seeing one of the first world wonders on our journey.
A couple of sea days to relax before we arrive in Aruba.
May God bless you always!
Chick and Lea Ann
WorldTravelReynolds 