http://SaturnianCosmology.Org/ mirrored file For complete access to all the files of this collection see http://SaturnianCosmology.org/search.php ========================================================== *General Information About Chichén Itzá* *Chichén Itzá Timeline <#thecity> | Artwork and Architecture <#Architecture>* 100spacer.jpg (822 bytes) *General Information*Logobutton.gif (6220 bytes) *Open daily 8am - 5pm. Entry = $7 Canadian *(a few $ more with tripod or video camera)* Free on Sundays and holidays. Located about 1-1/2 hours east of Merida and 2 hours west of Cancun on Highway 180.* Arguably the best known and most popular among all the Mexican ruins, the city itself is located just south of highway 180, 120 km East of Merida and 203 km west of Cancún, about midway between the two cities (about a two hour drive West from Cancun). Chichén Itzá is the modern day capital city of the state of Yucatan. Not all of the site is accessible to tourists. The *Temple of the Warriors *has now been deemed off limits as have portions of the *Temple of the Jaguar *connected to the Ball Court. These changes are necessitated by the continued erosion of the site due to time, acid rain, vandalism, and the fact that the city now sees almost *three million *visitors each year, equal in numbers to the Parthenon in Rome or Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England. Interest in these sites is welcome for the money it brings into the country's local economy, but has ultimately added to the erosion of the sites themselves. It is the most completely restored archeological site in the Yucatan thanks to funding from the Carnegie institute and the efforts of scholar and adventurer *Sylvanus Morley*. Sylvanus spent twenty years of his life between 1924 and 1944 supervising the restoration efforts in the hopes of attracting visitors from all over the world and to help provide funds for other archeological digs in the area. Sylvanus Morley is also responsible in part for the first English translation of the Quiche Maya "Bible", the *Popol Vuh* <../../books/popolvuh.htm>. Chichén Itzá covers about 4 1/2 km in area, and was built in the late *CLASSIC PERIOD* <../../themaya/whowere.htm#periods> around 800-1000 AD. Here is a *MAP* of Yucatan and the location of Chichén Itzá with the surrounding area. The inscription at Chichén Itzá reveal that it was ruled by a group of five individuals, two of whom were brothers. The names of these individuals are listed in the Chilam Balam, the book written by the Maya after the Spanish conquest to record their history. Among these names are /K'ak'upakal /(one of the brothers), /Ah-Holtun-Balam /(one of the founding lords) and /Hun-Pik-Tok' /the conqueror of Itzamal. There is also an indication that this group were called /K'ul Kokom Ahaw /or "Holy Kokom Lords" and that this family ruled Chichén until the conquest. There have been two recorded names for this city. /Chichén Itzá/, which means "Mouth of the well of the Itza", and several possibilities related to the core name of /Wuk Yabnal/. A common modern belief is that there appears to be two great phases in the discovery and occupation of Chichén Itzá, a 77 year "Mayan" phase starting in 10.0.2.7.13 (August 4th 832 AD) and a later "Toltec" phase in the eleventh and twelth century. The Mayan phase, or "Old Chichén" was the original configuration of the city and the Toltecs invaded Chichén at some point and imposed their system on it to form the newer or "New Chichén" portion of the city. Carbon dating has however placed many Toltec influences in the same time period as the "Mayan" one (Ceramic styles associated with the Toltecs have been found sealed inside of structures carbon dated prior to AD 1000) so the true timing between the Maya and the Toltec in this city are a source for heated discussion. The *Great Ballcourt* is located in the "New" or "Toltec" section of the city, yet the inscripted dedication date 10.1.15.3.6 (November 18th, 864) well inside the Maya time for the city yet located in the Toltec "section". In fact most of the readable inscriptions in any major structure within Chichén are dated prior to 1000 AD. Some believe that the Toltecs invaded the Itzá at Chichén and forced their architecture and belief system on them. It appears archeological evidence does not support this opinion. The Toltecs used the word "/Tollan/" or "/Tulan/" to mean a "place of cattail reeds" and it typically referred to a mystical location where religious meeting with the gods were held. The Aztecs also used Tollan to simply mean "metropolis" or city. We now know that the classic Maya used the word "/puh/" which meant cattail reed, to refer to Teotehuican. The Maya are known to have built cities and structures with the symbolism of "The place of reeds" at least 250 years before Teotehuican was built, which therefore means the Toltecs "imposition" of their symbolism could not have happened in a location where the symbolism was already in use for almost three centuries. Suffice it to say that this division in the city allows us to refer to each as a "precinct". There are componants common to each princinct. Each area has its own ball court, Venus platform, cenote, cenote temple, and even versions of the Snake Mountain motif. Both the earliest and latest dated inscriptions occur in the southern precinct which reveal that though the northern section seems more impressive, the southern portion was important throughout the history of the city. The first priest of Chichén was called Zamma, named after Itzamna, the first, oldest and most powerful god to the Maya, sometimes pictured as the great bird that sits on top of the world tree (as in the *Tomb of Hunab-Pakal*) and sometimes in a guise similar to Chaac with his long hooked nose. It is believed, from translated inscriptions and accounts listed in the Chilam Balam, that the original Itzá were migrants from the southern kingdoms, from the Tabasco-Campeche coast, who headed north to avoid the wars between the powerful cities in the south. Chichén Itzá is wonderful and magical early in the day as the fog dissipates. For those wishing a more relaxing and enjoyable experience, try and arrive early ahead of all the tour buses and most of the other tourists. Though very enjoyable, the site is extremely popular and gets crowded very soon with tourists which may detract some of the "magic" from visiting thousand year old ruins. Also, try and read up on some of the structures before visiting and know a little about what you are seeing as this greatly improved the experience. *History of the City* From the inscription and accounts in the *Chilam Balam*, here is a brief time line for the city of Chichén Itzá *Date* *Event* 672-692 The discovery of Chichén Itzá and the beginning of the migrations to the north from Nonowal and Siyankan Bak'halal 711-731 Time of the Great and Little descents. The Itza brought the Pawahaekuh as their gods and they ruled for thirteen k'atuns 731-751 Ah-Kuy-Tok'-Tutul-Xiw and his people established themselves at *Uxmal* <../uxmal/uxmal.htm> 771-791 Included the founding ceremonies of the Itza alliance at Ichkantiho (Tz'ibilchaltun) 830-849 The first dated monuments erected at Chichén Itzá. A second group of Tutul Xiw arrived at Uxmal 849-860 Included the dedication of the *Great Ballcourt* 869-889 Was the period into which most of the dates at Chichén Itzá fall 889-909 Saw the dedication of the *ballcourt* <../uxmal/ballcourt1.htm> and *nunnary quadrangle* <../uxmal/nun.htm> at Uxmal. The latest monuments at Uxmal and Chichén Itzá recorded the end of this k'atun. It is also the latest date at Tonina in the south 928-948 Was the k'atun in which Chichén Itzá was abandoned by the Itza who established Chak'anputun and ruled for thirteen k'atuns (260 years). Chak'anputun may have been a province west of Lake Peten Itza 1165-1185 Saw the first dated monument at Mayapan 1185-1204 Was the k'atun of the Hunak-Kel action against Chak-Xib-Chak of Chichén Itzá. The Itza returned from Chak'anputun but were forced to retreat to Tan-Muluk-Xok near Lake Peten Itza. They returned north forty years later 1244-1263 Included an attack against Mayapan by the Itza and their allies, the Lords of Itzamal 1263-1303 The k'atun in which the Itza forced an alliance upon Mayapan and became known as the Maya 1441-1461 Saw the final abandonment of Mayapan 1480-1500 Was the k'atun of the first European voyages to the Caribbean 1539-1559 Saw the final conquest of Yucatan and the establishment of Christianity At one point is was thought the Maya were a lot of peace loving farmers that were set-upon by the Toltecs and forced to change their ways. Most of the traits once thought to be Toltec, were in place at various Maya sites as early as 400 AD, long before the Toltecs were in a position of power. We know know from the intrepretation of many inscriptions, not the least of which surrounds the *Great Ballcourt* , that the Maya were appropriating styles from other cities and adapting them for their own use, a practice common long before the Itza were established. *Architecture/Artwork* Old Chichén is comprised primarily of the *Puuc construction style*, a much "Busier" style of construction wheras New Chichén shows evidence of the Toltec influence on Mayan design. The architecture and art has been closely compared to that of the Toltecs of central Mexico. Both peoples shared a belief in the plumed serpent god Kukulkan (known to the Toltecs as Quetzalcoatl) which is not unusual in itself, but the Toltecs lived almost one thousand miles from the Itzá Maya, and in days before routine communication was possible this link was an unlikely one. There is an interesting *Legend* of how Quetzalcoatl came to be known to the Maya. Most of the surviving sculptures and artifacts from Chichén Itzá have been removed to prevent their further decay due to acid rain, theft and vandalism but there is a museum attached to the present day city that contains some of these artifacts for visitors to view. There are also several museums throughout the world that have artifacts taken from the city. Adding to the mystery surrounding the city, is the presence of the many limestone carvings. Limestone was the hardest substance known to the ancient Maya as they had no metal tools, so how were these sculptures completed? It is greatly doubted that such lasting detail could have been accomplished by chipping stone against stone. Some have theorized that the Itzá Maya applied a plant extract to the limestone before carving that made it more easily worked, but to date there has been no such plant discovered in the Yucatan that has this effect. Others claim that the Maya traded with people from far away so they would have had access to granite and other rocks harder than the limestone native to theior own area and it was these rocks used for carving. *TOP*