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Chichen Itza, Yucatan
Region
The Observatory
El
Castillo •The
Temple of the Warriors• The
Observatory• The
Nunnery• The
Ball Court• Cenote
The Observatory The
intense interest of the Maya in the annual travels of the sun across
the sky is evident in many structures at Chichén Itzá
and other Mayan Sites. South of the Castillo is a strange round building
known as the Carocal. Several of its windows point towards the equinox
sunset and the southernmost and northernmost points on the horizon where
Venus rises.
One of the nice
things about Chichén Itzá is that you can go in almost
all of the ruins. Many have the musty smell of the past, still present
after over 1000 years. Dark portals await those that dare walk through.
After walking into one pitch black room a startled meter long iguana
charged through my shaking legs and out into the jungle. It felt like
a seen from "Indiana Jones" It's nice that despite all the
reconstruction and tourists, the place can still grab hold of you
like that.
Our
next stop is south of the Carocal and is a unique collection of ruins
that has been called The Nunnery
El
Castillo •The
Temple of the Warriors• The
Observatory• The
Nunnery• The
Ball Court• Cenote
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