Chichen Itza

Today, I am off to visit our friends the Mayans, at their home in Chichen Itza. (Karen opted out, saying she wanted to remember it the way it was when she visited while attending college in Oaxaca.) 

After docking in Cozumel, I took the WinJet Fast Ferry from to Playa del Carmen, and a bus to the Yucatán peninsula. 

Chichen Itza is one of the seven Wonders of the World. It’s spread across 4 square miles and is believed to have been built by the Mayans between 250-900AD. It was occupied by ~35,000 inhabitants at that time. In addition to the famous pyramid of El Castillo, it has several dozen ancient mystical structures. 

Although these ruins were built thousands of years after the Egyptian pyramids, Chichen Itza shares many erie features and facts that may lead one to believe that perhaps some other-worldly influence led to their mysterious construction. For example, during the annual equinoxes, the shadows cast by the setting sun give the pyramid an appearance that its stone serpents (Quetzalcóatl/Kukulcán) is slithering down the steps of the temple! This transcendental phenomenon draws crowds from around the world. Also, this pyramid is positioned such that it tracks over 20 reoccurring celestial events, including Halley’s comet! How did they know?

After our tour, we were treated to a dinner show at a nearby resort which included a very cool performance by their Mayan dancers!

Also, the dinner featured margaritas and Corona beer, which is made locally. (In the largest beer brewery in the world! Who knew? I have to say, the fresh Coronas tasted differently here. I wasn’t sure at first, so I drank several more, just for scientific testing purposes…

On the 45-minute ride back on the FastFerry, the ferry experienced a power outage. It was pretty surreal for about 15 minutes. Although there were several hundred of us onboard, everyone acted as though it was an every-day occurrence and literally not a single word was mentioned regarding us being stranded at sea in the dark. (I expected the Titanic quintet to begin playing at any moment.) Soon enough we were on our way again, and that was the end of it. (El Cucuy?)