Sacrifice to the Gods: A view into the sacred well of Chichen Itza
Mexico has a rich history of cultures and the archaeological sites they left behind. One such site, and perhaps the most eerie, is Chichen Itza with its sacred well. Chichen Itza, unceremoniously called “chicken pizza” by gringos and locals alike, is a spectacular Mayan site located on the Yucatan peninsula about 100 miles from Cancun.
There are many beautiful buildings including a huge step pyramid, known as El Castillo, built in the center of the site. Other important archaeological features at Chichen include the Observatory, which is aligned to astronomical occurrences, and the largest ancient ball court in Mesoamerica. (see slideshow)
There are various versions of the 3000 year-old ball game, the goal of which was to score a point by causing a ball to go through a circular stone ring on the sides of the court. The losing team would often be sacrificed. The game is wonderfully recreated nightly at Xcaret, a beautiful park located on the Yucatan coast. See www.xcaret.com for more information.
My favorite favorite feature at Chichen Itza is the Cenote Sagrado, or Sacred Well.
An American, Edward Herbert Thompson, purchased Chichen Itza and its surrounding land in 1894. For the next 30 years he excavated the site, including the sacred well, the dredging of which was begun in 1904 and completed six years later. He described the extensive artifacts found there, including jade objects, gold, and human remains.
In one of my favorite books, “Gods, Graves and Scholars,” there is a section describing the dredging of the sacred well in detail. Thompson actually dove in to the well and describes being scared to death when brushed by a tree trunk floating in the murky depths. He had previously read about the Gods which the Maya believed inhabited the well and for one instant, he felt he was being attacked by one of the Gods.
He also describes many of the objects and human remains he found in the well, including the skeletons of young people and children. Interestingly, a skeleton of a young girl was found intertwined with the bones of an older man. Thompson hypothesized that in the instant the girl was pushed in, she may have clung to a priest and caused him to also fall into the well with her. The story of the sacred well is a window into the ancient Maya world.
Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_Itza for more information on the site. Also http://wikitravel.org/en/Chichen_Itza has useful information on travel logistics.
Further reading:
“Gods, Graves, and Scholars” by C.W. Ceram. Available at www.amazon.com
Getting there:
Flights are available from Portland to Cancun. Costs vary widely depending on time of year. (I have found the cheapest and best time to travel to Mexico is February to March) Flight times average about 7 hours. Check out www.travelocity.com for information on available flights.
Please check out my photographic images site, JCarmen.imagekind.com, for images you can purchase and download. I add new images frequently, so keep checking in with me. Thanks so much for looking! JC
Comments
I have fond memories of visiting Chichen Itza as a kid. I remember exploring all the ruins, though at that time visitors were not allowed in the observatory building. The varied architecture at the site is truly amazing.
i pooped my pants
Marvelous detail. Thanks for sharing.
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