We spent our honeymoon in the Mayan Riviera of Mexico and while there, took in the ruins of Chichen Itza on the very same day it was declared one of the official wonders of the world. This giant pyramid known as El Castillo dominates the centre of the cleared area and is breathtaking to see. After some injuries by clumsy tourists it is no longer open for climbing but the view from the base remains unforgettable.
The Mayan people were brilliant astronomers and the ruins of this observatory were very captivating to me. There were statues of the heads of Mayan astrologers around the outside and the main dome had been designed to look like a snail. For any apocalypse nutters out there, we had it tiredly explained to us that the end of the Mayan calendar is the beginning of a new cycle and the world is no more likely to end on any December 31st than the end of 2012... just because you're out of calendar doesn't mean you're out of time.
This is the top of the Templo de los Guerreros (Temple of the Warriors) which has a reclining statue at the top and was flanked on the sides by hundreds of columns.
The Mayan people were fascinating and their lack of written language combined with their cruel decimation at the hands of zealous Spaniards leaves many of these places as enigmas I wish we knew more about.
The Mayan people were brilliant astronomers and the ruins of this observatory were very captivating to me. There were statues of the heads of Mayan astrologers around the outside and the main dome had been designed to look like a snail. For any apocalypse nutters out there, we had it tiredly explained to us that the end of the Mayan calendar is the beginning of a new cycle and the world is no more likely to end on any December 31st than the end of 2012... just because you're out of calendar doesn't mean you're out of time.
This is the top of the Templo de los Guerreros (Temple of the Warriors) which has a reclining statue at the top and was flanked on the sides by hundreds of columns.
The Mayan people were fascinating and their lack of written language combined with their cruel decimation at the hands of zealous Spaniards leaves many of these places as enigmas I wish we knew more about.
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