Chichen Itza - Culture

Chichen Itza is the most impressive and intact ruins of Mayan civilization that the modern world has. This now popular tourist attraction is located on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and has fast become the best restored record of the spiritual, domestic, and agricultural lives of these people. The Yucatan area has much more to offer than just a beach resort, it hosts some of the most spectacular of the Mayan archaeological sites, including the famous Chichen Itza. Chichen Itza has a mixture of Mayan and Aztec temples and the largest known 'Ball Court', a game for which the rules have been forgotten but carvings found on the side on the ball court indicate one of the players was beheaded at the end of the game.

El Caracol is an astronomy-oriented structure. It is a giant observatory dome where many rituals and celebrations took place. The dome has many windows peppered throughout. Stars can be seen through different windows on specific dates. This structure is one of the pinnacles of Mayan architecture. Creating a stone dome is hard work, but creating it with windows at precise points takes an enormous amount of time and skill. El Caracol simultaneously displays the Mayans' expertise in both astronomy and engineering. This is one of the main attractions of Chichen Itza today.

The Pyramid of Kulkulkan is a giant calendar -- there are nine levels, one for each month in the Mayan calendar; 54 indented squares, one for each week; and 366 steps, one for each day of the year. Each side of the pyramid faces a cardinal direction. At the bottom of one side of the pyramid, there are two snake heads, which represent the Mayan god Kulkulkan. On the equinoxes, the scalloped edges of the pyramid create a shadow which form the body for the snake heads. The shadows appear to move down the pyramid. To the Mayans, this represented their god coming down to reward his loyal followers.

The ball court was used for a basketball-like game -- except that the hoop was much higher and sideways. It is currently believed that after the game, the captain of the winning team was decapitated. His blood was used to fertilize the ground. The body was then thrown into a well and a relief of his skull was carved into a wall to memorialise him. The ball court itself has a stand over each "end zone" for the two judges. Despite the far distance, the stands' acoustics were designed so that the judges could talk to each other in a normal speaking voice. The court is surrounded by a large wall where spectators stood, and on one side there is a covered box with seats for the aristocracy.

Chichen Itza's Ball Court is the largest in Mexico. Ball Courts were part of almost every Mayan city. The courts were designed very much like today's soccer fields. Raised stone hoops were placed at each end. The Mayans would play a game very much like a cross between soccer and basketball. A hard rubber ball (the Mayans had rubber in this era) was played with. The teams were supposed to keep the ball in play using everything but their hands, and score by putting the ball through the hoop. The Chichen Itza Ball Court measures 272 by 199 feet, about the dimensions of a football field. After the invasion of the Toltecs, the Ball Court took on a more sombre note, with the losing team often being sacrificed.