Hi guys, to start off I want to apologize for the lack of content. I have been on vacation in Cancun for the past week and I didn’t have anything to write a blog on so I wasn’t able to post anything. I’m back now so I will be writing more content in the coming weeks.
I stayed at the Moon Palace in Cancun, Mexico. We woke up at around 8am and hopped on a charter bus at 9:10am specifically. The bus ride to Chichén Itzá was a solid 3 hours so I brought along my iPad and watched Fast and Furious on the way. About half way there we stopped at a small market. It was only one little shop and they prepared food for us. It was coordinated by the guide that was taking us. Several other buses were also there so most people going to Chichén Itzá stop there to get lunch. And yes, they sell just about any Mayan souvenir you could think of (some costing upwards of $800).
Upon arrival at the Mayan ruins, I definitely felt the tourist vibe. There were several busses. I’m talking at least 40, and the entrance to the place had gift shops, food, bathrooms, and these dudes making a lot of noise with their conch shells.
Once you get into the place, there are vendors up and down the main pathways. They are all local people who make things like Mayan calendars, plates, statues etc and they are all trying to get you to buy things.
The first structure we saw was the famous pyramid, El Castillo. Towering 98 ft above everything, it was the center of attention. It was built during the 9th-12th century and is as mathematical as a structure could get. 91 stairs on 4 sides adds up to 364 steps with one step into the center making it 365, coordinating with the solar year. There are 18 layers or terraces, equal to the number of months in the Mayan year.
By far the most impressive feat of this structure is what happens during the spring and autumn equinoxes. On these days, the sun lights up parts of the staircase revealing a serpent that travels down the staircase and illuminates the head of a snake.
It is supposed to symbolize god coming down to earth or something like that. I didn’t really pay attention I was too busy taking pictures.
Moving on we took a look at this “court”. That hoop in the picture, yeah thats rather high up. Higher than a regulation basket ball hoop thats for sure. Players used a 2kg ball made out of rubber and passed it around. The goal was obviously to hit the ball through the hoop using only your hips and your elbows. I’m still not sure how thats possible. The captain of the winning team would get sacrificed. No this is not a punishment, but more of an honor. The game was played to worship god, and the captain of the winning team would get sacrificed as the ultimate way to worship him.
Check out this little video if you want to see more about how the game works.
One of the coolest things we saw was how a person was able to communicate to thousands of people. The way the structures are set up, they amplify sounds. Our tour guide started clapping in the middle of this quad, not near the main pyramid, and within a minute you could hear the sounds of his claps from every direction. It’s amazing how the Mayans were able to build all of this and have all of these great features so long ago.
Once he was done talking we were allowed to wander until the bus left. Obviously I went to take more pictures of the cool structures.
We arrived back at the main pyramid and surprisingly, not a lot of people were crowding around it. All of the tourists had spread out so naturally, I had to do a backflip in front of one of the great Wonders of the World.
Visiting the ruins of the Mayans was quite the experience. I’m glad the world didn’t end because I wouldn’t have seen such cool structures made way long ago. I highly recommend you guys to go and check it out someday. Yeah its in Mexico, yeah its insanely hot and humid there, and yeah the mosquitos suck, but it’s really cool to see where the famous Mayans lived and what they were able to do with maths and science hundreds of years ago.
If you can’t afford to go to Mexico, here is a link to a satellite view of the area.
In the coming days and weeks I will do a review of the resort I stayed at called Moon Palace so stay tuned for that.
Project Innovator 