The archaeological site of Chichén Itzá was the most important Mayan construction in the Yucatán Peninsula. It has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1988 and its Kukulkan pyramid is one of the 7 wonders of the modern world.
Within the archaeological site, in addition to the Kukulkan pyramid, there are many more buildings. In this post I talk to you about what to see at the archaeological site of Chichén Itzá, how to visit it, guided tours and tips that will help you prepare your trip.
CHICHEN ITZA ARCHEOLOGICAL ZONE
The city of Chichén Itzá was founded in the 6th century by the Itza Mayans. The city is dedicated to the god Kukulkan; the feathered snake. The name of the city, Chichén Itzá, means mouth of the well of the Itzars. And it refers to the Sacred Center that is still on the premises today. This cenote was known for being the entrance to the underworld and in it, all kinds of sacrifices to the gods and ceremonies were performed.
As the city became more important and grew exponentially, it began to have conflicts with neighboring cities causing fights. After several battles, the city fell into abandonment. After a long time of abandonment, the site was recovered and prepared for tourism.
How to visit the archaeological zone of Chichén Itzá
All hotels in Riviera Maya, Cancún, Valladolid and surrounding areas offer organized excursions to visit the archaeological zone of Chichén Itzá. So if you don't want to rent a car and go on your own or if you don't want to take a tour, don't worry, I'll tell you all the options you have here.
If you are taking a route through the Yucatan Peninsula, the largest and closest city is Valladolid, which is about 40 minutes away by car. Parking at the venue costs about 30 pesos. As soon as you arrive you will see several local workers signaling to you to indicate free spaces.
Renting a car to tour the Yucatan Peninsula is a good idea to go on your own and save a lot of money on organized tours. However, this option does not include tickets to the places, guides...
If you arrive on your own, once you park, go to the entrance where you will find the ticket offices. At first glance it may seem like an amusement park, because of the queues and the style of ticket offices... and in a certain way it is. Don't worry, when you enter it will be totally worth it.
The cost of the entrance is about 480 pesos (late 2019 update). I recommend that if you go by yourself, do not miss the opportunity to book a guided tour. It is the best option to know the entire history of the archaeological zone, the mythology, the rituals...
What to see in the archaeological zone of Chichén Itzá
As soon as you enter and follow the first path you will find an immense esplanade where the Kukulkan Pyramid is located, also known as the Castle. If you are one of the first to enter you can even photograph the pyramid with hardly any people. Hurry up and get up early! It's worth it.
The Kukulkan Pyramid is made up of four faces and an upper platform. Each of these faces is crossed by a staircase of 91 steps, which, adding the four faces and the last step, adds up to 365. Like 365 days of the year. Its sides are divided into 9 levels, 18 if the two ends on each side of the staircase are separated, like the 18 months of the Mayan calendar. There are also 52 panels, which correspond to the 52-year cycle of the Mayan calendar. As you can see, everything was related to time, months, years... it was their system of measuring time.
The god Kukulkan was the most important for the Mayans. After the Toltec influence, this god is represented as a snake with feathers. During the equinoxes, on the northern staircase there is a play of light and shadow in which the shadow of the serpentine body of the god is projected, which joins the heads carved at the base of the staircase, making the descent towards the ground .
Another of the important places that you will find within the site are the Mayan Ball game area, the temple of the Jaguars, the temple of the Bearded Man and the platform of the skulls.
The ball area is a huge area with two huge parallel walls, each with a stone hoop. Through this arch is where the teams had to shoot baskets with a rubber ball.
It was a very popular game among the Mayans. In these games, many ended up decapitated and the severed heads of the enemies were usually displayed on the Skull platform.
The next stop on the tour is the Temple of Venus. It is located near the Sacred Cenote.
The Sacred Cenote area is an area with places to shelter from the sun. There are hardly any areas with trees in the main areas, so take advantage of this area to stop and cool off. There are also several small shops with crafts here (they tend to be much more expensive than those you will find outside the enclosure. This is because they have to pay a high cost to "rent" the area where they set up their shop. Even so, taking into account the cost from Mexico, it is quite cheap, so you can take advantage.
Once you have rested, go to the group of a thousand columns. It is a set of buildings and temples surrounded by columns, as the name indicates. The Temple of the Warriors, the Temple of the Tables and the market stand out.
When you finish visiting this area, return to the center of the archaeological zone, where the Kukulkan Temple is located, and approach the southern complex. Here you will find the Priest's Tomb, rising on a small platform and you can also visit what is considered the observatory. You can't miss either the Nuns and the Casa Colorada complex with a ball game in the back.
You must keep in mind that the free tour lasts about 3 or 3.30 hours. Although I recommend again that you hire a guided tour to tour the place.
Excursion to the archaeological zone of Chichén Itzá
There are several interesting tours that include Chichén Itzá. I advise you to book it online as sometimes hotels take advantage and inflate prices. You can see more information about all the tours and book the one that best suits what you are looking for in these links:
Tips for visiting the archaeological zone of Chichén Itzá
If you go by yourself, arrive as soon as possible, so you will enjoy a couple of hours until the tour buses start to arrive.
The hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Wear light and comfortable clothing, the heat and humidity is quite intense. You can bring your swimsuit and a towel, because there are already several coves where you can bathe. Don't forget the sun cream. He also wears a raincoat. Depending on the time of year it is very common to have tremendous sun and then suddenly 10 or 15 minutes of intense rain (you get drenched) it did not rain for us, but the whole time we were in the venue it was sunny, It clouded us a lot… In Chichén Itzá we were completely soaked, so it is better to be safe.
I recommend that you contrast the visit to the enclosure to learn about its history. Either with an organized tour with transportation included or at the entrance of the enclosure.
PLAN YOUR TRIP STEP BY STEP
I hope you enjoy your trip to the Yucatan Peninsula and that this article has been useful to you. You can continue reading many more articles from Mexico on the blog.
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A hug and see you soon!