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Chichen Itza Tours

CHICHEN ITZA
INFORMATION

About Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is one of the main archaeological sites on the Yucatan Peninsula, in Mexico. It was and is still a sacred city and Mayan pilgrimage center founded by the Itza, the so-called water sorcerers, in the 5th century AD.

The name Chichen means "mouth of the well" and Itza refers to those who founded it, the Itzaes "witches of the water", around the year 435.

In Mayan society, the Halach Uinic or ruler of divine and hereditary character, lived in the palaces, along with priests and nobles who performed administrative tasks. Within the elite there were treasurers, scribes, architects and warriors, trades faithfully embodied in the murals, bas-reliefs and ceramics of the place.

For their part, farmers, weavers and artisans lived in surrounding villages and came to the city to go to the market and attend the religious celebrations that populated their precise calendars. The Mayans used two: one solar and the other ritual. The solar calendar, more exact than any other, was divided into 18 months of 20 days, plus 5 dark days, which were called uayeb (no name). The ritual calendar, or Tzolkin, was 260 days, 20 months of 13 days and was used for divination. The conjugation of the two calendars resulted in a period of 52 years, whose western equivalent could be the century.

Religion presided over the daily life of the Mayans, and their bulging pantheon of gods was related to the forces of nature. In fact, one of the most important activities of Chichén Itzá was its role as a sacred city and pilgrimage center, a function that it retained beyond its survival. The Sacred Cenote has witnessed this: it was a place of offerings of gold, jade, shell or wood, as well as human sacrifices.

Information

Info: Solar disk made of mosaic with turquoise and shell mounted on wood; it was part of the Castle offering. It refers to the symbolic importance of the hexadecagon. Anthropology National Museum. Photo: Jorge Pérez De Lara / Raíces

Chichen Itza Entrance Fee

Chichen Itza is part of the 7 wonders of the world, being a famous tourist attraction the Chichen Itza entrance fee is applied to each visitor. The payment allows it to preserve this incredible ancient Mayan site, which is also a World heritage site by UNESCO.

Besides those important titles, Chichen Itza is vital for local people since it is the main source of income in the surrounding communities.

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Chichen Itza Location

Chichen Itza is located in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, right in the middle of Cancun and Merida. The distance from Cancun to Chichen Itza is about 2.5 hrs, which is the main city in the area. From Merida another important city in Yucatan is about 1hour and a half to get to Chichen Itza.

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Founding Chichen Itza

The history of Chichen Itza as with many aspects of Mayan history is obscure: Written records are scarce.

In the historical records which is exist, dates that were several years apart were often given the same name, due to the organization of the old Mayan calendar.

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Chichen Itza Light and Sound Show

Every night the Great Pyramid of El Castillo shines through the night after dark. It is an exciting show full of history and beautiful light effects. Ancient Mayan complex comes to life with a dramatic light and images and also sound show.

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Chichen Itza History

Chichen Itza is one of the main archaeological sites on the Yucatan Peninsula, in Mexico. It was and is a sacred city and Mayan pilgrimage center founded by the Itza, the so-called water sorcerers, in the 5th century AD.

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The Mayan Civilization

The The Mayan originated around 3,000 years ago in present-day Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and Mexico.

The Mayan empire flourished in the southern regions from around 250 AD to 900 AD. The empire in the south collapsed around 900 AD. No one knows the reason.

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Chichen Itza Viejo

Chichen Viejo was founded about 400 AD. by the Maya and then governed by priests. The architecture od this area is characterized by many representations of the god Chaac, the Maya rain god.

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Equinox in Chichen Itza

On the equinoxes the sun is positioned directly over equator and the length of day and night is nearly equal which means earth’s two hemispheres are receiving the suns’ rays equally. Even the word “equinox” comes from the Latin and means “equal night”.

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Chichen Itza Ruins

Buildings at Chichen Itza are among the most impressive in the Mayan culture, having one of the New Seven Wonders of the World: El Castillo or the Kukulcan Pyramid.

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Chichen Itza Renovation

Chichen Itza, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and the second most visited of Mexico’s archeological sites. It remains open to the public 365 days of the year. 8.000 visitors per day in the high season climbing on monuments in Chichen Itza and consequently monuments have been structurally worn down because of a huge amount of tourist traffic.

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Chichen Itza Nuevo

Chichen Nuevo began roughly about 850 AD. with the arrival of the Itza from Central Mexico. The city was rebuilt by the Itza. It is also characterized by images of the god Kukulcan, the plumed serpent.

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