The Chichen Itza archaeological complex, located on the Yucatan peninsula, in Mexico, was a fortified Mayan city. Its name translates as ‘Mouth of the well of the Itzaes’. The Itzaes were, apparently, mythical-historical characters, whose names can be translated as ‘water sorcerers’.
Even today, Chichen Itza houses the ruins of a glorious past that show its importance and continue to surprise us with the secrets it reveals.
Kukulcan: The Chichen Itza Castle
In the heart of this Mayan city, there is “El Castillo”, a monumental 98.5 ft. (30 m) step pyramid made of limestone in honor of Kukulcan, the serpent god of Mesoamerican cultures, equivalent to Quetzalcoatl.
The Kukulcan temple functions as a calendar for the city. It is made up of 18 terraces that correspond to the 18 final months of the solar agricultural calendar called Haab.
On each side of the pyramid, there is a staircase of 91 steps that, together with the platform, adds up to 365 days a year. The stairs culminate at the base with a sculpture with the head of the serpent god.
Twice a year, the equinox causes a shadow to be projected on the edges of the steps, which simulate the body of the serpent that is completed with the sculpture. Thus, in this way the symbol: the serpent god comes down to earth. You can see how the effect of the serpent’s descent is formed in the following video:
It is amazing how the knowledge of Mayan astronomy was so advanced! But that’s just the beginning, inside the pyramid, there have been incredible discoveries
What is inside the Kukulcan temple?
Inside the pyramid, which measures 32.8 ft. (9.9 m) high and has a base of 39.3 ft. x 59.5 ft. (11.9 m x 18.2 m), a staircase leads to two interior chambers, within which you can see the sculpture of a throne in the shape of a jaguar and jade teeth, as well as a statue of Chac Mool (a Mayan deity who traveled in time and served as a messenger of the gods), among other surprising elements.
Chac Mool statue
In what is known as the offering room or north chamber you can see the figure of Chac Mool with mother-of-pearl shell inlays in his nails, teeth and eyes).
The Jade adorned with Jade
Inside the Kukulcan pyramid, there is also a jaguar painted red with specks and eyes inlaid with jade. It is believed that the high priests used it as a throne.
Bones that destroy myths
Another passage reveals a crucial element in the interpretation of the Mayan culture: a space in which human skeletons with signs of sacrificial offerings are found, especially structures armed with leg bones.
In addition, far from what was thought, the bones correspond to young men, possibly warriors, which demolishes the theory that young women were sacrificed.
The mysterious pyramids inside the Kukulcan temple
The Mayan culture never ceases to amaze us! The Kukulcan temple looks like a Russian doll: It turns out that, in November 2016, archaeologists from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) discovered that the 98.5 ft. (30 m) high main structure has two other pyramids inside: one 65 ft. (19.8 m, discovered in the 1930s) and the other 32 ft. (9.8 m) that dates back to the time between 550 and 800 BC, during the original Mayan reign, in what is known as the period of the Pure Maya.
This second inner pyramid was discovered thanks to three-dimensional electrical tomography, a multi-electrode resistivity method that is based on obtaining 2D and 3D models of the resistivity of the ground and that has been very useful to discover numerous ruins around the world, as well as what it is within them.
At the highest point, it has a 9-foot (2.7 m) high shrine, as well as stairs, walls, and columns. A hollow area has also been detected, possibly corresponding to a collapsed canopy.
A cenote that is the Axis of the World
In 2018 it was discovered by the magnetic resonance that the Pyramid of Chichen Itza is built on a deep well of water called “Sacred Cenote“, Yaax-ha (“green water” in Mayan) or “Axis Mundi” (axis of the world). This well is 196 ft. (51.5 m) in diameter and its walls reach 72 ft. (22 m) in height.
The incredible thing is not that, but that the cenotes are located equidistant from each other and oriented towards the 4 cardinal points, forming a perfect square.
This gives much more value to the fact that the Mayans considered this cenote as the axis of the world. In this regard, Guillermo de Anda Alanís, director of the Great Mayan Aquifer (GAM) project, pointed:
“The one found now would be the fifth, the Axis Mundi or axis of the world. The point where the Sacred Ceiba grew whose roots reached the underworld, which is the fifth direction of the Mayan universe and its branches to the four cardinal points”.
It was hoped that through the underground caves that communicate with them, it was possible to reach that cenote that has remained hidden.
However, underwater archaeologists found that the entrances to that cenote are blocked, unlike the rest of the cenotes in Yucatan that connect with each other and in which you can snorkel.
Another thing that should be noted is that the ossuaries found in the cenotes corresponded to people of both sexes, mainly men between 3 and 12 years of age. This breaks the myth that the sacrifices corresponded to maidens.
Chichen Itza is a place full of magic and many elements to discover! We invite you to discover our exclusive tailor-made private tours in which you will learn first-hand the best-kept secrets of the Riviera Maya.
