I.I.VIII.II – Cancún: Day Three
CANCÚN
I.I.VIII.II – DAY THREE
29/08/22
As much as I seemed to dislike the city, it did have some remarkable qualities to it – mainly its vicinity to the old Mayan ruins; a stark contrast between the overly modernized city and the remains of a once powerful civilization. And now, I’d be embarking on yet an archaeological day-tour.
First off were the ruins of Ek’ Balam; the Black Jaguar. Built in the Pre-Classic, its first ruler was Ukit Kan Le’t Tok, whose name means Father of the Four Flint Foreheads. Under his rule, the kingdom experiences mucha dvancements, especially in the context of architecture. In fact, the most impressive buoldings found here were either built by him or dedicated to him.
The city of Ek’ Balam is enclosed in a wall which protects the inner area. Of note, there is the Palacio Oval in the South Plaza, a rounded multi-tiered structure atop a rectangular platform, but, the master of the show is none other than the Acropolis found at the North Plaza. This thirty-metre-high structure is made up of different layers that were built by subsequent rulers, containing multiple rooms, courtyards and temples which can be accessed through various staircases and passageways.
A large central staircase leads to different levels, with the fourth one featuring an unparalleled, impressive white stucco façade showing an open fanged mouth of the Earth god, which leads to an inner chamber called the White House of Reading, where one of the rulers of Ek Balam was buried. The same staircase leads to the summit of the palace, lending itself an incredible 360 view of the site and the surrounding jungle, a green carpet that covers everywhere the eye can see, with dark, thunderous clouds in the distance making for a stupendous vista. Upon closer inspection, one can see various mounds littering the site – other temples and pyramids that to this day remain unearthed.
Chichen Itza
Then, of course, was the pièce de résistance, the crème de la crème, the wonder of wonders, the ruins of Chichen Itza. It would be the third of the New Seven Wonders of the World that I’d be crossing off my list – the first two being the Colosseum and Machu Picchu!
Truth be told, I wasn’t that hyped about it. Whilst the latter two are truly impressive architectural feats, I can’t say I felt much awe and wonder whilst exploring their ruins. And the reason for that is quite simple. They’re too overcrowded. The multitude of tourists zipping from one place to another at any one time just ruins it for me. When I’m visiting ruins, I try to close my eyes, appreciate the quiet and try to envision what life must have been like back in their golden days. Try doing that next to a kid who’s inconsolably screaming their lungs out because their ice-cream just fell on the ground, or whilst trying to dodge the barrage of selfie sticks that are all seemingly directed at your head by the ones pouting their lips on the other end. Don’t get me wrong though, I still appreciate them for all they’re worth. But, I gotta say, I’m now resigned to feeling anything special in such places. I gave up on trying to feel connected or spiritual or whatever. I just enjoy the architectural masterpiece and that’s it. And so, my expectations for Chichen Itza were grand but realistic at the same time.
The name Chichen Itza means ‘at the mouth of the well of the Itza’ and was one of the most, if not the most, important Mayan city of Yucatán in the Classic period, with evidence suggesting the city was founded as early as 800BC, rising to power in around 600AD and housing around 60,000 to 80,000 Mayans. To this day, its decline is still shrouded in mystery, with some saying the city lost its political power somewhere between the 11th and 13th century. However, when the Spanish Conquistadors arrived, a thriving population was found, albeit smaller and less powerful. The Mayans living there at the time resisted Francisco de Montejo’s attempts to conquer the city for nearly ten years, before they eventually fell at his hands, aided by Mayans form surrounding cities.
Together with a group of some six uninterested Americans and a guide who only seemed to provide the bare minimum of information, we made our way into the archaeological site. Here, he (I was so unimpressed I actually forgot his name, so I’m just gonna stick to pronouns) gave us a brief description of the site and a few Mayan traditions. I felt a mixture of pride and disappointment the second I realised I wasn’t gonna learn much more than I already had with him. I mean sure, he’d tell us about the specific buildings (I hoped) and rituals performed in these particular places, but that was it. In a way, I knew why that was the case.
Most tourists coming here didn’t really care about the place’s history. They just wanted to check it off their lists, take a couple of selfies and then move on. At least that’s the impression I had – one that was constantly fortified by the people in my group. The way to the first area we’d be exploring was reminiscent of a crowd of people you’d expect to find in a busy road in London or Time Square, with hundreds of stalls by the side selling anything from Chichen Itza souvenirs to Dragon Ball and One Piece paraphernalia. I felt this close to putting on a long, brown wig and some white robes and pulling a Cleansing of the Temples on the multitude of vendors lining up the entry to the sacred site.
The Site
The site, he told us, spans around five kilometres squared and was built upon an artificially elevated area. Most buildings are grouped into complexes which used to be separated by from each other by walls, with multiple sacbeob connecting them. Of note, he mentioned three complexes that we’d be visiting – starting from the Osario Group at the centre we’d then head further south to the Central Group and then northward to the Great North Platform, the most important of all. Throughout the site, we’d also be able to observe various architectural styles such as Puuc and Chenes which were used by different ethnic groups of Mayans, a representation of migration and conquest from different cities.
And with that, we started our trail. Once we got to the Osario complex, we couldn’t help but notice a big, four-sided stepped pyramid – the Pyramid of the High Priest. A central staircase, with two serpent balustrades flanking its sides, leads to the summit where a temple can be found, featuring four columns. This, the guide told us, is connected to a cave where seven tombs were found, containing human remains and jade necklaces. Facing this pyramid are three structures, a round platform which was presumably used for some kind of rituals, a larger platform called the Venus Platform, and, the Platform of the Tombs; a square platform with no stairs leading to it where two tombs were found. Connected to the Osario complex by another sacbe is the Temple of Xtoloc which is found next to a cenote going by the same name.
From there, we then headed to the Central Group where a number of structures can be found. Of note is the Caracol, which means snail. Set on a giant two-tiered platform that’s around 43 metres tall, the Caracol is has a unique round design that sits atop a square platform, with a spiral staircase once connecting to the second storey. This building is assumed to have been used as an astronomical observatory, with doors and windows aligned at an angle of 27.5 degrees, complementing the path of Venus; the big star, and Mars; the red star. The Mayans would use this information to plan invasions and wars with other rivalling cities. Inside this building was found the Caracol Disc; a round stone depicting the Feathered Serpent at the top and Xolotl; the god of fire and lightning at the bottom.
Further south is yet another notable structure, the building of Las Monjas; which translates to The Nuns. This is a massive building with a temple at the top. Here, the Puuc style is very evident, with numerous masks of Chaac and glyphic inscriptions adorning some of the walls, with a number of them referring to a ruler called K’ak u Pakal. On its side, is the tiny yet impressive structure called La Iglesia; the Church. This is a simple, single-chambered building with an extremely complex detailed exterior, the mosaics showing spirals, serpents and Chaac masks covering the entire structure.
El Castillo
After exploring the area properly and leaving no stone unturned, we walked all the way to the entrance where the Great North Platform stands. Without making any effort whatsoever, the pyramid that comes into view when one looks over at the clearing, is one that is familiar to most. Seeing it in pictures and hearing about its glory, however, fails to do the Wonder of the World any justice.
Whilst I can say that my previous statement about not feeling connected or spiritually inspired did hold (on accounts of there being thousands of tourists surrounding the pyramid), I can’t say I wasn’t left in awe or that I wasn’t amazed by the majestic structure. After having visited so many ruins, I felt as if this one structure was genuinely the best of them all. It’s not the largest nor the oldest though it is definitely very well-preserved and extremely intricately designed. Also, admittedly, the fact that’s it’s a world renown Wonder which we’ve all seen on TV, magazines, the internet and god only knows where else since we were kids, definitely takes it up a notch.
The Temple of Kukulkan, or, as it is otherwise known El Castillo, is essentially a bigger version of the Pyramid of the High Priest. Standing tall at 26 metres, it is a four-sided stepped pyramid consisting of nine square terraces and a temple standing at its summit. Here, a Chac Mool statue with mother of pearl detailing was found; a reclined figure supported itself on its elbows, butt and feet, with its head facing the front. On its belly, a bowl-shaped container was found where sacrificial offerings to the gods would be placed. In a separate, adjacent room, a statue of a red jaguar which is adorned in cinnabar, jadeite and mollusc shells, and two sets of human remains were found. Apart from this, an artificial tunnel connecting to an older, smaller pyramid over which El Castillo was built can be found, with a third pyramid found deeper inside. This, the guide told us, was discovered after several attempts of excavation and is a common feature of most Mayan pyramids.
As if that weren’t enough, the entire complex is built over a cenote, with some suggesting this was purposely done given the importance of cenotes to the Mayans. To this day, it is theorised that there might be a tunnel to the cenote, however, none have been found as of yet. Another cool, cenote fact? The pyramid is aligned to four other cenotes, further consolidating its position as an axis mundi.
To add to the list of cool facts about this pyramid, some also refer to it as The World’s Largest Calendar. Every one of its sides has 91 steps, which, when multiplied by four, is a round and crisp 364. Add to this the temple at the top and voila, you have the total number of days in one year, or, as the Mayanas call it, the haab. Each side, in turn, has 26 sunken panels and 26 raised ones, totalling, yep, you guessed it, 52; the number of weeks in a year! Okay, one final cool fact, I promise. Whilst every side of the pyramid has its own staircase, the one on the north-eastern face has a larger one, with serpent balustrades on each side. During the equinoxes, the guide told us, a series of triangular shaped shadows is cast on the western balustrade, forming the shape of a serpent climbing down the pyramid; a representation of Kukulkan; the Feathered Serpent.
More of Chichen Itza
After spending some time admiring this glorious piece of art and getting a headache from all the people clapping in order to emulate the sound of a quetzal bird (this phenomenon is not accidental according to scientific literature), we then walked to the pelote court – the largest I had ever seen.
Being the biggest out of the thirteen pelote courts in the entire site. This would only be used on special occasions, with the priests being the only spectators, standing in either the North or South temples on its sides. The magnificent Great Ballcourt is flanked by walls that still have the original rings carved with feathered serpents and are decorated with a series of stone blocks featuring the team members, with one of them being decapitated. This would usually represent the winner, whose head, according to the guide, would be taken to the nearby Skull Platform by the loser as a sacrifice to the gods. Alternatively, he added, sometime the winners would be taken for a temazcal ritual; a sweat lodge that was used to heal and to purify their souls before being beheaded or have their heart taken out of their chest. Cool, cool. Then there was the Temple of the Warrior; a pyramid surrounded by columns featuring warriors, the Plaza of a Thousand Columns; which I think you can figure out for yourself, and tens of other structures which I could go on and on about.
From a larger Platform of Venus in the Great North Plaza, leaves a sacbe which connects to the Sacred Well; a huge cenote that is also known as the Well of Sacrifice. This is truly an incredible sight to behold; a huge sinkhole full of green water, with sheer limestone cliffs surrounded by the jungle. This, according to the guide, was a sacred site which was visited by thousands of Mayan pilgrims yearly in order to perform sacrificial rituals and appease the rain god Chaac in times of draughts. In fact, from the bottom of the cenote, which is some thirty meters deep, all kinds of artefacts have been brought up, from gold and jade to obsidian and copper – oh, and skeletons of men and children! Staring at the abyss in front of me, I could just picture the El Dorado-like scenes that would unfold here.
I can say whatever I want about it not being such a mystical experience, but really and truly, the site does deserve to be called a Wonder of the World. There’s no other way around it! All satisfied and fulfilled, we had one last stop to make.
The cenote Hubiku – an underground pool of pure, turquoise water with a small hole in the roof allowing light and tree roots down into the cave. Swimming in that water along with several hundreds of catfish was definitely the best way to end the day!