THE MAGESTIC MAYAN PYRAMIDS OF CHICHEN-ITZA. SIMPLY AWESOME.

CHICHEN-ITZA: ONE OF THE 7 WONDERS OF THE WORLD

The Maya name "Chichen-Itza" means "At the mouth of the well of the Itza" and there's indeed a well-like body of water (see below) where many Mayan princesses were thrown into as sacrificial offerings to apiece their blood-thirsty rain god, Chaac. ![Screen Shot 01-02-18 at 02.49 PM.PNG]() The "sacred sinkhole" also known as "Well of Sacrifice." Image by Wikipedia Commons | 1 Jan. 2005

A view of the famous ball court where the losing team's captain was decapitated. Talk about drama!

This is a closer view of the "hoop" where the rubber ball would go through. The players were not allowed to throw the ball with their hands; only their elbows, head, shoulders, knees, and feet (and toes, too...lol). It doesn't look like it would be easy to do.

Around March 20th and September 23rd, the sun casts a shadow simulating a snake coming down to Earth as you can see in this picture, courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Every time I visit this site, I'm reminded of my true last name: Itza. Long story short, my great grandfather's last name was Itza, same as the Mayan ruling family's. He and my Spaniard great grandmother fell in love and wanted to marry but back then interracial marriages were forbidden so they eloped. This meant that their children could not bear his name, only hers... still, I'm proud to be part of it.

For historical data on Chichén-Itzá, click here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_Itza

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