Chechen Itza the mysterious city ruins of Itza and Mayan

By asad russel -

Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Through a book which name was "Incidents of Travel in Yucatan" by John Lloyd Stevens published in the year of 1843 the people of the world first known about the Chichen Itza in Mexico. Now this place is a World Heritage site announced by the UNESCO. Chichen Itza is the second most visited place among all other places of Mexico and in 2006 as the new 7 Wonder of the world won the title. In understanding the ancient Mayan civilization and the history of Mexico Chichen Itza plays a important role.

 The Scared City of the Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is situated Yucatan state and from the Merida 75 miles away. From the colonial cities in Yucatan or from the coastal cities of Riviera Maya there are easy day trips. This archaeological site took hundreds of years to fully built various cultures and civilizations and still now their strong architectural influences are seen around this area. In this site there are many Mayan ruins which are the fact of Mayan history.

 "Mouth of the well of the Itza" is the meaning Chichen Itza named by the first settlers of this city for the water source and for the large cenote. About 400 A.D. the first settler of Itza came to this place and they were the "Itza" and as an agriculture based society the city was developed. From the Sacred Cenote the water was supplied to the farmers for cultivation and gradually as the central city Chichen Itza continues the evolution to be the focal point. During the 625-800 A.D. which was the central Phase for the Classical Period from firming Chichen Itza started the practice of science, art and religion. Among the designs of the buildings new innovation came to practice. They built many religious building. During the Central Phase of the Classic Period the religious buildings such as the House of the Deer, the Red House, the Church, the Nunnery, the Akab Dzib, Annex, the House of Phalli and the Temple of the Three Lintels were built. This amazing civilizations foundation became weekened by the Maya civilization during the time of 800 to 925 A.D. Only to return in the 10th century A.D. the Maya created new communities and abandoned Itza's main religious center.

Chichen Itza's Toltec influence

With the two powerful Toltec tribes, Xio and Coccom the Itza allied themselves around the 1000 A.D. During this alliance time new constructions of the structures were continued and the Toltec tribes influences were showcased by that. In the Chichen Itza the Toltec architectural accents and arts were spread rapidly including the galleries, Mexican gods, colonnades and carvings depicting serpents, birds and porches. Change came into their religious belief, once the Sacred Cenote was used to supply the water for irrigation but after the alliance it started to use space for honoring the God of Rain by large number of human sacrifices.

 With an additional alliance with Mayapan and Uxmal in the northern Yucatan the people of the Chichen Itza started their domination. During that the the city expanded their area and included more new buildings and structures such as the Temple of the Warriors, the observatory, the ball court and the Group of the thousand Columns. That new alliance of older Mayan city and the Toltec tribes was towering the Kukulkan's Pyramid with cosmological symbolism which was filled.
Mayapan broke the alliance in 1194 A.D. held between the Itza, Coccoom and Xio and was also subdued the Uxmal and Chichen. Gradually the city was abandoned and in the early 1500's found by the Spanish, surrounded by the dense jungle there they found crumbling buildings and structures.
In 1842 a New York lawyer rediscover this city and to begin the excavation and restoration brought in the amateur archaeologists. In 1922 by the Mexican government and the Carnegie Institute the real reconstruction and restoration was began and for this work it took almost 20 years and still today continues the preservation of this mysterious Mayan city. For the architectural details and building preservation the tourist tries to climb on the Grand Kuklukan Pyramid but they are unable to climb on this Pyramid.

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According to the SIIMT Inteligencia de Mercados every year 1.4 million visitor come to visit this city. The EI Castillo or the Castle which is the stepped terraces of the Kuklikan Pyramid the ruins. Visitor can visit the whole day exploring this city especially the Kukulkan Pyramid, ball court, Sacred well, the Observatory, Platform of the skulls and other Chichen Itza buildings such as the platfrom of venus, the Eagles and Jaguars etc.

Posted by : Unknown 8:03 PM Tags : Travel Destinations

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