Last week Ried and I had a little getaway to Cancun, Mexico. One of our must-see sites there was Chichen Itza, the Mayan pyramid. We ended up doing an excursion from our hotel to see it which I discussed the pros and cons of in my last post so I’ll save you from that discussion all over again! Despite the negatives of how we decided to see Chichen Itza, it was absolutely worth the trip!
The most breathtaking part of the tour was definitely the main pyramid – which is actually 3 pyramids (2 smaller ones fit inside the larger one that you see from outside). You can’t climb up it (apparently someone died doing that so now it’s closed off to the public) but it’s still worth going to see and walking around. The pyramid is huge and the architecture is amazing. I recommending getting a tour guide at the site to show you around for a bit as there is a lot to know about the mathematics behind the building of the pyramid. There are also some really cool acoustics at certain parts and when you clap your hands it echoes off the steps pretty loudly.
Chichen Itza doesn’t only have a pyramid to look at though. There is also a ball court (ever seen “The Road to Eldorado”? The ball court definitely reminded me of it!) with lots of cool carvings on the walls, a temple type area for sacrifices, and lots of other neat ruins to admire. There are also a ton of vendors everywhere selling souvenirs. “Jaguar whistles” were extremely popular and everywhere you went you heard these being used.
If I could do it again, I would pack a lunch, take the bus from Cancun to Chichen Itza, hire a tour guide at the site to learn a bit about the pyramids and Mayan culture, and then walk around with Ried for a bit to take my time admiring everything. After that I would have parked on the grass and eaten my lunch while gazing up at the pyramid. I still enjoyed myself and am so glad I got to the site! How you do it just depends on your preferences!
-Rachel
R&R Wander 