In what country is Chichen Itza located? Chichen Itza Mexico - ancient Mayan city travel photo. Other attractions in Chichen Itza

The ancient city of Chichen Itza is recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage site and is the second most popular archaeological site among tourists in Mexico (after Teotihuacan).

Translated from the language of the local tribes, this name means “Well of the Itza Tribe.” Archaeologists consider it one of the religious “places of power” associated with the Mayan culture.

Over the course of approximately a thousand years of history, various peoples have left their mark on the appearance of the city. The ideas of the Mayan, Toltec and Itza peoples about the world and the universe were reflected in stone monuments and works of art.

The buildings at Chichen Itza are conventionally divided into two groups. The first includes buildings dating from the 6th-7th centuries. n. e. and dating back to the Mayan culture. The second group of buildings dates back to the Toltec period of the 10th-11th centuries. n. e.

Story

Chichen Itza was probably founded in the 7th century AD. e.

In the 10th century it was captured by the Toltecs.

In the middle of the 11th century, Chichen Itza became the capital of the Toltec state.

In 1178 it was defeated by the united army of three city-states - Mayapan, Uxmal and Itzmal, led by Hunak Keel. By the time of the Spanish conquests (mid-16th century), Chichen Itza was a ruin.

After 1194, the mysterious city was completely deserted. There is no exact data on what caused this. The policies of the Spanish conquerors who invaded Mexico included the burning of manuscripts and the murder of Mayan priests. Thus, much of its mysterious history was lost.

Attractions Chichen Itza

Pyramid of Kukulkan or El Castillo- a temple building that survived among the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza.

Inside the pyramid, the entrance to which is on the north side, there is a temple with two rooms. It contains the sacrificial figure of Chak-Mool and the jaguar throne. The height of the pyramid is 24 m, the base is 55x55 m, 365 steps leading up, symbolizing the days of the year. In addition to its function as a temple, the pyramid probably served as a calendar.

Every year on the days of the autumn and spring equinox (March 21 and September 23), you can watch the unique spectacle of the “feathered serpent”. The shadow of the stepped ribs of the pyramid falls on one of the stairs. At the same time, it seems that a snake is crawling along it, up in March and down in September. The end of the staircase, in keeping with this effect, is topped with a stone snake head.

It is a giant round funnel with a diameter of over 60 meters. Its steep walls, made of limestone layers, drop steeply down to the dark green water. According to the Mayans, the rain god Chak lived inside the well. The Mayans offered him human sacrifices, throwing them to the bottom of the cenote.

In 1961 and 1967, Mexican expeditions explored the sacred cenote. Two large wooden thrones, about a hundred clay jugs and bowls of various sizes, gold jewelry, items made of jade, rock crystal, bone, mother-of-pearl, amber, copper and onyx, as well as human and animal bones were found.

It is believed that the columns once supported the roof. But nothing remains of the roof over the sanctuary, which is located on the upper platform of the Temple of Warriors, where two staircases lead. Only two stylized snakes remained, made in the form of columns and symbolizing Kukulkan.

The goal of the game is to hit the stone rings with a heavy (up to 2 kg) rubber ball, the size of a human head. The ball was caught on a “yoke” or hit with a bat; only elbows, knees or hips were used. The ball, representing the sun, was probably not allowed to touch the ground, otherwise its symbolic "path" would be interrupted.

The team that missed the ball through the hoop was considered the loser. The losers are believed to have been ritually sacrificed (reliefs on panels decorating the bases of the walls show beheaded players).

There are several other similar structures at Chichen Itza, but the “Great Field” is much larger than them.
Last changes: 04/10/2015

Chichen Itza is one of the few ancient cities that were partially restored during excavations. It is located in Mexico near Cancun. It was previously the political and cultural center of the Mayan civilization. And although today the territory is abandoned by residents, the attraction is a UNESCO heritage, so tourists come to see the ancient buildings not in photos, but in person.

Historical summary of Chichen Itza

From history, everyone knows about the Mayan tribe, but by the time the Spaniards landed on the Yucatan Peninsula, only scattered settlements remained of the large population. The ancient city of Chichen Itza is irrefutable proof that the civilization was once very powerful, and the knowledge it possessed can still surprise us today.

The beginning of the construction of the city dates back to the 6th century. Architecture can be roughly divided into two periods: the Mayan and Toltec cultures. The first buildings appeared in the 6th-7th centuries, subsequent buildings were erected after the Toltecs captured the area in the 10th century.

In 1178, the city was partially destroyed after the invasion of Hunak Keel. In 1194, the previously prosperous center was almost completely deserted. It was still used for pilgrimage purposes, but for unknown reasons, residents never returned to the city with its unusual architecture and developed infrastructure for those times. In the 16th century it was already completely abandoned, as the Spanish conquerors came across only ruins.

Sights of the ancient city

When visiting Chichen Itza, it is difficult to ignore the monumental buildings of the city, which even today amaze with their scale. The visiting card is the Temple of Kukulkan, a 24-meter high pyramid. The Mayans worshiped divine beings in the form of feathered snakes, so they hid an amazing miracle in the design features of the Pyramid of Kukulkan.

On the days of the autumn and spring equinoxes, the sun's rays fall on the slopes of the building so that they create shadows of seven equilateral triangles. These geometric shapes are combined into a single whole and form a snake crawling along a pyramid measuring 37 meters in size. The spectacle lasts almost 3.5 hours and annually attracts a huge crowd.

Also, during the excursions, be sure to tell about the Temple of Warriors and the Temple of Jaguars, painted with unusual designs. At the Temple of Warriors you can see the ruins of a thousand columns, each with images of warriors carved into it. In those days, astronomy was of great importance to residents, so it is not surprising that there is an observatory in the ancient city. The staircase has a spiral shape, which is why the building is called Karakol, which translates as “snail”.

One of the darkest places in the city is considered to be the Sacred Cenote, where there is a well with the remains of animals and people. During the Toltec period, sacrifices played a key role in religion, but many child skeletons have been found here. Scientists still cannot find a clue why children were needed for the rituals. Perhaps this secret will remain hidden within the walls of Chichen Itza.

For the Mayans, astronomy was placed at the forefront of everything; many nuances in architecture are associated with the passage of time and calendar features. For example, the Temple of Kukulkan consists of nine tiers, on each side a staircase divides the pyramid in half. As a result, 18 tiers are formed, the same number of months in the Mayan calendar. Each of the four staircases has exactly 91 steps, which together with the upper pedestal is 365, which is the number of days in a year.

Interestingly, the locals loved to play pot-ta-pok with a ball. This is confirmed by several playgrounds. The largest reaches 135 meters in length and 68 in width. There are temples around it, one on each side of the world. Guides usually show how to get to the sports fields and talk about the rules of the game.

Chichen Itza can easily surprise you, because the city is impressive in its scale. It seems that everything in it was thought out to the smallest detail, which is why it is not clear for what reasons the inhabitants left it. The mystery of history may remain unsolved forever, and this is even more interesting for tourists.

The Mayan pyramids in Mexico are true monuments of antiquity. Despite the fact that there are quite a lot of them in the country, only a few will be able to be visited, since most of the pyramids are covered with a thick layer of earth or covered with dense vegetation.

I would like to dwell in more detail on the main attraction of Chichen Itza - the Pyramid of Kukulkan, which is a real wonder of the world. Its other name is “El Castillo”, which means “castle”. It was built in the 11th century in honor of the highest god. Its name in the Mayan language is “feathered serpent.” It rises to a height of 25 meters. At the very top of the pyramid there is a temple. Getting there is quite difficult; four extensive steep stairs lead to its top, separated by 18 flights, each of which previously corresponded to a month of the year. Despite the difficulty of the climb, such an excursion will cause great delight. The base of the pyramid is a square with sides of 55.5 meters.

On the sides of the pyramid you can see 9 terraces - one for each room of the kingdom of the dead. The Mayans imagined the afterlife as a place where they would go after death.

Each staircase has 91 steps. When you multiply the number of steps of the staircase by the total number of stairs and add one platform located at the very top of the pyramid on which the temple stands, the result is 365 - a number equal to the number of days in a year.

And this is not just a coincidence. Scientists are confident that the Mayans took the principle of the most ordinary calendar as the basis for the pyramid. There is also an assumption that the pyramid previously had some astronomical significance.

The staircase that runs along the northern side of the pyramid ends at the bottom with snake heads, and they, as you know, are the main symbol of the god Kukulkan. Their location is not accidental. Climbing to the top platform is not safe. Of all the staircases, only one, the western one, has been restored. You will be able to climb it, you just need to hold on to the iron chain stretched along it.

The Mayan city keeps many secrets; its history is unique. The Pyramid of Kukulkan, which is located in this city, has another interesting feature. It was discovered only in the 20th century, when the restoration of this structure took place. Twice a year an extraordinary phenomenon could be observed, which seems mystical to many.

Twice a year a special visual effect appears on the pyramid. This happens on the days of the spring and autumn equinox. Several thousand people are waiting nearby for such an amazing action. Accurate to the second, on the steps of the northern staircase, triangles of light and shadow form the image of a giant Sacred Serpent, which slowly slides to the very base of the pyramid. This phenomenon is of great significance to the Mayans, as it seemed as if the sacred Feathered Serpent was coming back to life.

This mysterious phenomenon was a signal of the onset of the equinox and proves the fact that the Maya had well-developed astronomy and geodesy. If the pyramid had been positioned even one degree in the wrong direction, there would have been no play of light at all.

This is the mystery that lurks on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.

Worldwide interest in the heritage of the Mayan civilization does not fade. Numerous religious and cult mysteries, gloomy predictions and accurate calendars, gigantic ruined cities, among which the most famous is Chichen Itza, invariably attract crowds of tourists and curious people. The name itself Chichen Itza from the Mayan language it is translated as “well of the Mayan tribe”, due to the fact that there are 13 cenotes (natural wells) on the territory of the ancient city.

Chichen Itza: History of the City

Based on archaeological data and scraps of ancient chronicles, researchers concluded that the famous Mayan city was founded in the 5th-6th centuries AD. It immediately became the center of the Yucatan territory: political, religious, cultural. According to some data (all statements regarding Chichen Itza are not confirmed and are hypotheses that require evidence, which is almost impossible to find), the city was permanently inhabited by 20 to 30 thousand residents. Countless numbers of pilgrims and wanderers, traders and money changers visited this settlement every year.

In the 10th century, the Mayans were conquered by the Taltecs, the city was partially sacked and abandoned by most of the population. But life did not leave him. The decline occurs in the 13th century after the birth of Christ. Buildings crumbled, people left Chichen Itza. Since the 15th century, herds of cattle have grazed in what was once a rich, prosperous and populous area.

For a long time, no one showed interest in the majestic and ominous ruins. From the middle of the 19th century, a passion for culture, astrology, and most importantly, the legendary riches of the Mayans began. Scattered but numerous excavations and studies began on the territory, artists and photographers from all over the world came to capture the bizarre buildings and mysterious temples.

In the 2nd half of the last century, the Mexican government decided to restore (as far as possible) the original appearance of Chichen Itza. This place has become a Mecca for tourists.

In 2007, the ancient city Chichen Itza Mexico included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Mayan city of Chichen Itza is named one of the 7 New Wonders of the World. Tuzha might have gotten in, but it wasn’t fate.

Chichen Itza, Mexico and the Artistic Value of the Ruins

The area of ​​the city is about 6 km. sq. The surviving architectural complexes are numerous and, if you study them in detail, examining every relief and column, one day for a visit will not be enough. Unfortunately, excursions organized from Cancun are only one-day excursions. Stay overnight in Chichen Itza nowhere, and it’s creepy.

A professional guide will lead the group along paved roads, perfectly preserved over fifteen centuries, and show and tell about all the religious buildings of the city. The most significant and huge of them is pyramid of chichen itza called Kukulkan "The Feathered Serpent". The guide will entertain (and scare some) with legends about bloody sacrifices, cruelty and religious beliefs of the ancient tribe. The temple of warriors will amaze you with the realistic reliefs and sculptures; it’s easy to get lost in the group of “thousand columns”. The ball court will surprise you with the size of its territory and will give you goosebumps with images of severed heads.

The excursion includes a visit to the sacred cenote - a natural reservoir, the diameter of which is 60 m. The depth is almost the same. There is evidence that the Mayans threw girls and children, as well as numerous religious objects, into this “lake”, asking their deities for rain.