You may not understand this, but Chichen Itza is a Yucatan site that ranks as one of Mexico’s most visited sites. It is a place of extreme archeological and historical value and significance owing to the reality that it marks the core of an ancient pilgrimage made for more than a thousand years by the Mayan cultures. There are loads of interesting facts about this beautiful location, and here are listed and outlined many of these facts about Chichen Itza.
Wonder Of The World
Move over Egypt, Mexico is coming through, and Chichen Itza has just lately been categorized as one of the world's New Seven Wonders. It was also enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, with other highly exciting sites placing it in there. If you have been wondering, UNESCO stands for the Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization of the United Nations.
The fact that Chichen Itza receives accreditation and adulation from all over the globe demonstrates just how unique this place is and demonstrates it to anyone visiting Mexico as one of the must-see locations.
The fact that Chichen Itza receives accreditation and adulation from all over the globe demonstrates just how unique this place is and demonstrates it to anyone visiting Mexico as one of the must-see locations.
What It Means
The name "Chichen Itza," which is as interesting as it is romantic, is converted into 'the mouth at the Itza well.' There's also some magic in the air with this place's name, as many individuals think Itza means 'water magicians.'
As the term "Itz" (or Its) means magic/sorcery and the word "ha" means water, it's simple to see how they come to this conclusion too. Romantic, lovely, magical. Of course not to be confused with pizza of chicken.
Economic Power House
The Temple of Kukulkan, which is a very renowned pyramid, dominates the skyline and the entire site of Chichen Itza. While this pyramid is remarkable in its own right, it actually sits on top of El Castillo, a much older pyramid, demonstrating that the renovation of buildings is hardly a modern thing.
Many archeologists think that around the moment of 600 AD Chichen Itza was somewhat of an economic force, with its demise and fall estimated to have happened around 1000 AD. There's nothing to be looked at for 400 years at the top of your game, and this ancient town has shown it's definitely capable of keeping its own.
Well Planned and Well Known
What we can learn from this place's design and layout is that, considering the abundance of temples and pyramids, it was obviously very well planned and very well built. As well as how these are all set in clusters, it's mind-boggling. A well-planned city that has become a civilization well-organized.
Chichen Itza's most well-known clusters are the Great North Platform, the Ossario Group, the Central Group, and the Old Chichen. They have so much historical meaning that some of them are not even accessible to the public. That said, visitors have plenty of chance to go and look at some of these clusters. The easiest way to see them is to walk with a local guide.
The Equinox and Venus
Fun Fact: Around the 20th of March and the 22nd of September each year, the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, the rays from the sun cast a shadow over the Kulkulkan Pyramid that gives the impression of a serpent sliding down the staircase. It's definitely a photo op of a lifetime. What smart people were those Mayans!
There is an area devoted to the planet Venus on the north side of the readily identifiable pyramid. It is well known that the Mayans loved astrology and thought that they played a major role in their life. The movement of Venus held real significance for this civilization and it played a big role in influencing other ancient Mayan cities.
Other Pyramids
While Chichen Itza's most well-known pyramid is clearly Kulkulkan's outstanding characteristic, there are other pyramids dotted around the site that are also worth a visit. The Ossario pyramid can be discovered in the same name cluster, but any good guide book or credible tour guide can point you in the correct direction or accompany you there and show you around.
You may be disappointed at how close you are allowed to get, as with many locations of archeological importance, but these items have stood for thousands of years and every effort should be made to maintain their ongoing heritage. For the sake of a selfie or a stolen souvenir, their conservation should not be jeopardized.
Sounds and Echoes
The Mayans planning and building drawings, as we have already found, would rival those of a modern computer, such was their attention to detail, art, ingenuity, and craftsmanship, but what is less known is that they also created construction agreements intended to create exciting sounds.
There are places in Chichen Itza where a single hand clap will trigger an echo of nine hand claps reverberated around the site to be heard to be believed. This must have been in the planning of the design, since every moment it is the same. It'd be a coincidence if it weren't deliberate, that's for sure.
How anyone first found this is the guess of anyone. That can only be the coincidental thing about it. Another clap near the great pyramid will generate an echo a little more eerie. Reminding anyone who hears about the serpent shadow that only appears twice a year, a clap at the same pyramid will echo the noise of a serpent hissing.
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