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Chichen Itza means “ Home of the Holy Ones.” It was a sacred city to both the Maya and Toltec peoples. In the flat, sun-baked region of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, an interesting hybrid of two cultures emerged.
First was the Maya, with advanced knowledge of the cosmos, then around 1000ce the Toltec, who brought the cult of a feathered serpent god. Chichen Itza is filled with images of the serpent Quetzalcoatl, which is a morphed version of a peaceful Maya god. While the Maya philosophy that defied the stars and worshipped time remained, the Toltec placed increasing emphasis on human sacrifice. They co-existed from the 10th century ce until the 15th century before their mixed culture virtually vanished.
Chichen Itza in it’s heyday was not only a ceremonial center, but a residential city with a bustling market. Trade with other Yucatan cities prospered under a strict rule. Everything was controlled by the astrologer-priests, who maintained forced labor of the local peasantry. The city complex of Chichen Itza houses many unique monuments, including one of the most fascinating pyramids on earth. The El Castillo step pyramid is the centerpiece of Chichen Itza, a very sacred place used in many Maya and Toltec ceremonies.
Other major ruins include the Temple of the Warriors and the Caracol Tower. The Caracol Tower has its main axis aligned to the rising and setting Venus. Other astrological observations include the vernal equinox and the moon setting at its most southern and northern declinations.
The El Castillo pyramid is fundamentally the Maya calendar formed in stone. In order to calculate the appropriate time for rituals and planting, the astrologer-priests relied on highly advanced knowledge of Maya timekeeping-the most accurate calendar system developed by humans to date. The brilliance of the El Castillo design is seen in how it was constructed to show the shadow of a serpent only on the spring and fall equinox days. The serpent was originally a Maya symbol of divine wisdom and is featured in practically every stone structure in the Yucatan.
After the Yucatan Peninsula was invaded by the Toltec, information recorded in stone reveals the new rainmaking ceremonies and other major sacrificial rites became a theater of blood. The primary deities were aspects of nature and creation, and from atop the pyramid the priests would often request rain, fertility and a plentiful harvest of corn.
Come explore the magnificent, ancestral Mayan cycles and experience the interplay between the mysterious and the planetary impact these ruins have had on us.
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