Yucatán
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Chichén Itzá, ruined ancient Maya city occupying an area of 10 square km in south-central Yucatán state, Mexico. It is thought to have been a religious, military, political, and commercial centre that at its peak would have been home to 35,000 people.
Chichén Itzá is located some 90 miles (150 km) east-northeast of Uxmal and 75 miles (120 km) east-southeast of the modern city of Mérida. Chichén Itzá was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.
The photo here is of the castle- El Castillo which has four sides, each with 91 stairs and facing a cardinal direction; including the step on the top platform, these combine for a total of 365 steps—the number of days in the solar year. During the spring and autumnal equinoxes, shadows cast by the setting sun give the appearance of a snake undulating down the stairways. A carving of a plumed serpent at the top of the pyramid is symbolic of Quetzalcóatl (known to the Maya as Kukulcán), one of the major deities of the ancient Mesoamerican pantheon. Excavations within the nine-platform pyramid revealed another, earlier structure containing a red jaguar throne studded with jade.
El Caracol (The Snail) or the "Observatory" in Chichen Itza. Used to make astronomical observations.
Chichen Itza was one of the largest Maya cities and it was likely to have been one of the mythical great cities, or Tollans, referred to in later Mesoamerican literature. The city may have had the most diverse population in the Maya world, a factor that could have contributed to the variety of architectural styles at the site.
The Temple of Kukulkan is the large pyramid that dominates the Chichen Itza Archaeological Zone. It is also known as “El Castillo” or “The Castle”. All 4 sides of the pyramid have 91 steps plus the top platform (the final “step”) adds up to 365—the number of days in the year. It is 79 feet (24 meters) tall and is very well-preserved.
These colorful masks are sold by artisans on the grounds of Chichén Itzá, a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people in the central Yucatán Peninsula. The city was a major focal point in the northern Maya lowlands during AD 600–1200. Chichén Itzá is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico with over 2.6 million tourists in 2017. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_Itza
The observatory of Chichen Itza (also called caracol or snail in Spanish) allowed the Mayas to study the movement of the stars. It dates from the first period of Chichen Itza (between 450 and 900 AD)
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Chichén Itzá - l'observatoire
L’observatoire de Chichen Itza (également appelé caracol ou escargot en espagnol) permettait aux Mayas d’étudier le mouvement des étoiles. Il date de la première période de Chichen Itza (entre 450 et 900 après JC)
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Chichén Itzá - Yucatán - Mexique / Mexico
The Temple of the Warriors complex consists of a large stepped pyramid fronted and flanked by rows of carved columns depicting warriors. This complex is analogous to Temple B at the Toltec capital of Tula, and indicates some form of cultural contact between the two regions. The one at Chichen Itza, however, was constructed on a larger scale. At the top of the stairway on the pyramid’s summit (and leading towards the entrance of the pyramid’s temple) is a Chac Mool. This temple encases or entombs a former structure called The Temple of the Chac Mool. The archeological expedition and restoration of this building was done by the Carnegie Institute of Washington from 1925–1928. A key member of this restoration was Earl H. Morris who published the work from this expedition in two volumes entitled Temple of the Warriors.
El Castillo, Chichen Itza archaeological site, Yucatan, Mexico.
Copyright © Piotr Gaborek. All rights reserved!! Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without my explicit written permission.
Chichen Itza was one of the largest Maya cities, with the relatively densely clustered architecture of the site core covering an area of at least 5 square kilometres (1.9 sq mi). Smaller scale residential architecture extends for an unknown distance beyond this. The city was built upon broken terrain, which was artificially levelled in order to build the major architectural groups, with the greatest effort being expended in the levelling of the areas for the Castillo pyramid, and the Las Monjas, Osario and Main Southwest groups.
Chichen Itza was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people of the Terminal Classic period. The archeological site is located in Yucatán State, Mexico.
Chichen Itza was a major focal point in the Northern Maya Lowlands from the Late Classic (c. AD 600–900) through the Terminal Classic (c. AD 800–900) and into the early portion of the Postclassic period (c. AD 900–1200). The site exhibits a multitude of architectural styles, reminiscent of styles seen in central Mexico and of the Puuc and Chenes styles of the Northern Maya lowlands. The presence of central Mexican styles was once thought to have been representative of direct migration or even conquest from central Mexico, but most contemporary interpretations view the presence of these non-Maya styles more as the result of cultural diffusion.
Chichen Itza was one of the largest Maya cities and it was likely to have been one of the mythical great cities, or Tollans, referred to in later Mesoamerican literature. The city may have had the most diverse population in the Maya world, a factor that could have contributed to the variety of architectural styles at the site.
The ruins of Chichen Itza are federal property, and the site's stewardship is maintained by Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (National Institute of Anthropology and History). The land under the monuments had been privately owned until 29 March 2010, when it was purchased by the state of Yucatán.
Chichen Itza is one of the most visited archeological sites in Mexico with over 2.6 million tourists
La Piramide, known as the Temple of Kukulcan, is a Mesoamerican step-pyramid that dominates the center of the Chichen Itza archaeological site in the Mexican state of Yucatan. Built by the pre-Columbian Maya civilization sometime between the 8th and 12th centuries AD, the pyramid served as a temple to the deity Kukulcan. The pyramid consists of a series of square terraces with stairways up each of the four sides to the temple on top. Sculptures of plumed serpents run down the sides of the northern balustrade.
Human sacrifice, a feature of all Meso-American and Andean religions, has often given rise to the portrayal of the American civilizations as particularly cruel and backward, and it has to be admitted that the practice is so alien to our way of thinking that an objective assessment is very difficult. Blood was viewed as a potent source of nourishment for the Maya deities, and the sacrifice of a living creature was a powerful blood offering. By extension, the sacrifice of human life was the ultimate offering of blood to the gods, and the most important Maya rituals culminated in human sacrifice. Heart extractions and sacrifice have been viewed as a supreme religious expression among the ancient Maya". The removal of the still-beating heart, or sometimes self-immolation was considered a great offering and meal for the gods.
Mexico, Chichen Itza
Please don't use my images without my permission. All images © Aivar Mikko.
What an amazing day to take pictures! I hope you all enjoy! prefect timing for a cloud to pass by to grab this photo.
A Mayan Kukulkan Pyramid, the Palace of the king, a Chichen Itza Archaeological site located on the Yucatan Peninsula. Chichen Itza was a large pre-Colunbian city built by the Mayan people. The site occupied 4 square miles (10 square kilometers) in South-Central Yucatan State, Mexico
Chichen Itza was a large Mayan city on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The city was established in the early 400's AD and was inhabited until 900 AD. At its height, it is believed that as many as 50,000 people lived in the city.
After the Spanish conquest of the Yucatan in 1547, many of the abandoned city's structures received Spanish names. The city was later forgotten and covered by jungle. The city was rediscovered in the 1840's.
This is El Castillo (the Castle) or Pyramid of Kukulkan. The large square pyramid has a small temple at the top.
Pirámide de Kukulkán.Este templo es el edificio principal de la ciudad de Chichén Itzá (México),Su perfecta simetría representa el calendario maya 18 cuerpos (el número de meses, de 20 días cada uno) y 365 peldaños (días del año).
Chichen Itza was a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people of the Terminal Classic period. The archeological site is located in Yucatán State, Mexico.
Chichen Itza was a major focal point in the Northern Maya Lowlands from the Late Classic (c. AD 600–900) through the Terminal Classic (c. AD 800–900) and into the early portion of the Postclassic period (c. AD 900–1200). The site exhibits a multitude of architectural styles, reminiscent of styles seen in central Mexico and of the Puuc and Chenes styles of the Northern Maya lowlands. The presence of central Mexican styles was once thought to have been representative of direct migration or even conquest from central Mexico, but most contemporary interpretations view the presence of these non-Maya styles more as the result of cultural diffusion.
Chichen Itza was one of the largest Maya cities and it was likely to have been one of the mythical great cities, or Tollans, referred to in later Mesoamerican literature. The city may have had the most diverse population in the Maya world, a factor that could have contributed to the variety of architectural styles at the site.
The ruins of Chichen Itza are federal property, and the site's stewardship is maintained by Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (National Institute of Anthropology and History). The land under the monuments had been privately owned until 29 March 2010, when it was purchased by the state of Yucatán.
Chichen Itza is one of the most visited archeological sites in Mexico with over 2.6 million tourists
Chichen Itza in Mexico.
One of the Maya monuments on Yucatan.
Captured once again with the one and only camera I had with me. The X100F. And again a Jpeg which I edited slightly in Lightroom CC.