Ruinas Chichén-Itzá Things to Do Tips by Waxbag

Temple of the Warriors

The Temple of the Warriors is apart of the Grupo de las Mil Columnas (Group of a Thousand Columns) and faces El Castillo. The platform temple is dedicated to Chac which is shown reclining. The columns use to support a roof that has long disappeared but now appear as a forest of stone. Unfortunately, you may not be able to climb up to the temple platform, but you can view the intricately carved serpents along the staircase and get lost in the forest of stone columns.

Directions: East of the Grand Plaza
Chichen Itza, Yucatan State, Mexico

El Caracol (The Obeservatory)

The observatory, also known as El Caracol, was one of the most important structures in Chichen Itza. It has a unique structure as the round tower built upon a square terrace is not of the Toltec or Puuc styles as is associated with Chichen Itza. Its purpose was for the astronomers to view Venus, an important planet that signified Quetzalcoatl-Kukulcan, a Toltec deity as well as other important stars that may line up in the windows of the observatory.

Directions: Chichen Itza,Yucatan State, Mexico
El Caracol is south of El Castillo about 500 m.

Cenrote Sagrado

Along a path 250 meters north of El Castillo is the Cenote Sagrado (the Sacred Cave or Well). It is a huge natural hole in the limestone bedrock that is about 60 m wide and 40 m deep. Its walls are covered in vegetation and pitted nooks with bird nests. The pool below is algae green. Edward Thompson, an American Archeologist, dredged the cenote in the beginning of the 20th century finding many incredible artifacts including gold and jade jewelry, pottery, and tools as well as human bones. It is thought that the young and old, whether no longer useful due to disease, wounds, or age or vibrant and healthy were all thrown to their death here. Many of the artifacts found here are on display at the Archeology museum in Merida.

Directions: Chichen Itza, Yucatan State, Mexico

The Platform of Skulls

The Platform of the Skulls or Plataforma de los Craneos, in Spanish, is between ball court and El Castillo. The platform is about 2 meters tall and is in a “T” shape. Along its walls skeletons have been carved depicting the heads of the sacrificed perhaps the losers from the nearby Gran Juego de Pelota (Gran Ball Court). What a ghastly site this must have been.

Directions: Chichen Itza, Yucatan State, Mexico
Off the Grand Plaza between the pyramid and the Ball court.

Gran Juego de Pelota (Great Ball Court)

The ball court in Chichen Itza is remarkable for several reasons. It is the largest and most impressive of all the ball courts in the Mayan world. This game was important to this city due obviously to the size of this court and it proximity to El Castillo, but also the fact that there are seven other courts within the city. Due to the size of the ball court this space has incredible acoustics. Try clapping in the center of the court. The sound is clear and crisp.

Reliefs along the massive walls depict the losers of the game getting decapitated. The sacrificies here at Chichen Itza may have revolved around the losers in the ball court and they may have had their heads hanging in the nearby Plataforma de lost Craneos (the Platform of the Skulls).

Directions: Chichen Itza, Yucatan State, Mexico

El Castillo (Pyramid of Kukulcan)

Chichen Itza's El Castillo is one of the best preserved pyramid temples in the Mayan world. It stands 25 meters tall and although not the largest temple in central America it is very pleasing to look at. The temple is not originally Mayan as the Toltec built over the original and the Toltec god, Quetzalcoatl, is represented by the plumed serpents sitting at the base of the stairway leading up to the top.

El Castillo is a calendar. The levels of the temple and the stairs between each level represent the months and days of the Mayan year. There are 365 steps commemorating the days with 18 separate terraces commemorating the months. The Pyramid dominates the enormous plaza in which it stands. The temple marks the solstices and equinoxes by the way the sun creates shadows upon the structure. A demonstration of this incredible lighting affect is done each night in the sound and light show. It comes with the price of entrance or is about $4 US if you don’t have a day ticket. The show is at 8pm in the summer and 7pm in the winter and last approximately 45 minutes.

The original Puuc temple was built in the 9th century. This layer is accessible through a tunnel. You can climb the original stairs up to the temple platform to view a red jaded jaguar and a chacmool figure. The entrance is open from 11am to 3pm and 4 to 5pm. It is free with entrance to the park and should not be missed.

Directions: Chichen Itza, Yucaten Province, Mexico
45 minutes west of Vallodolid
1.5 hours east of Merida
2 hours west of Cancun

Get There Early and Enjoy This Facinating Site

This ancient Mayan city has some of the best preserved temples in all of Central America. Unfortunately, it happens to be close to Cancun and therefore is a major attraction to packs of those annoying, sun, idolizing, excursion packaged, tourist who show up with swim suits on and three cameras around their kneck. They show up in droves right at the hotest time of day.

My advise is to enjoy this increadible place early in the morning before the heaps of tourist come. Stay in nearby Valladolid and be the first to walk in Itza's gates at 8am. Go enjoy el Castillo, the near perfect pyramid. Spend the first hour here and in the palace and ball court. Then as more people show up go to the more subtile sites further away from the most popular sites. You will still have a feeling of being alone at least for another hour. Around 11am it's all over and you might as well head back. But in two hours you really can see a lot without the feeling you are in Disney World waiting in a line that says "45 minute wait from this sign".

Directions: 40 kms away from Valladolid
200 kms away from Cancun