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Trip Reviews, Ratings and Comments - Trip Review - Club Oasis Akumal 4b
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OUR AKUMAL ADVENTURE, PART 4b
Thursday, 6/22/00, Day “5” continued
On the way to Chichén Itzá, the fellows handed out cards to fill out if one wanted a personalized Maya Calendar. This is a unique souvenir, with any date of your choosing (birthday, anniversary, college graduation, past, present, future, whatever) done on bark paper in Mayan glyphs. Paul explained that you could turn in these cards at an office in the entry building and the calendar would be finished by the time one left the site. I’m sorry I cannot recall what they cost now, but it seemed reasonable for such a unique item. We found this same service available at other sites, too. They can also do your name in Mayan glyphs.
The fellows also cautioned us about the vendors at Chichén Itzá. Some silver is apparently not so great there. Also, if you hear “1 dollar,” it does not mean the item is $1, it means that the vendor is offering $1 off the asking price. In addition, there is no such thing as a “Mayan dollar.” If you ask how much that means, the vendor will tell you whatever he wants the price to be.
So, the bus pulled up in the parking lot, and Manuel instructed us to meet him and Paul at the curb. An umbrella was provided in the bus for each couple if they wished to use it. When everybody was together, we proceeded into the entry building. This is a spacious building, containing shops and a small museum. There were also good bathrooms. A note: While this focus on bathrooms may seem odd, I have traveled in many places, including Mexico, where you would rather find a bush, even a small cactus or a rock, to do your business behind. And I have…. I was impressed by the overall cleanliness and functionality of most of the bathrooms I visited during our stay.
As the group milled together in the building, some of us went off to the bathroom, and those wishing to use a video camera went to the cashier to pay the extra 30 pesos for that. We were handed our tickets and went through the entrance gates, the attendants punching each ticket and checking the receipts for video camera use. (As we emerged onto the site, Manuel pointed out that there were new bathrooms just outside the building, too. Apparently, this tends to be a concern for other visitors, not just me!)
As one emerges into the hot sun, the trees block the view of anything for a few moments. Then, as we followed the path, El Castillo came into view, and then other buildings. Suddenly, one is hushed into awe and feels the power of the place. I was not really prepared for what I felt.
If you have ever been to Chichén Itzá, you know what I mean. If you have never gone, I cannot explain it—you just have to be there.
As a former archaeologist, I had of course studied Mesoamerican archaeology. I’ve been to the Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. I’ve climbed the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon at Teotihuacan. I’ve read about Chichén Itzá, seen many photos, even films. It is only when one is actually there that one begins to realize the sheer size of the place. There are some 700 buildings, most of them not restored, and the site covers many acres of ground. When we were there, there was some archaeological work being done approximately 2 kilometers south of the main area (that’s over a mile away).
I will not give a full description of all the buildings. Chip and Judy posted some excellent photos in their recent reports. There is also a good Website at http://www.playaguide.com/chichenitza.html that provides a history and description of some of the buildings. I’m sure there are others. I will just synopsize our tour and tell you some of my impressions.
We trekked over to the shade of a tree near the Ballcourt. I’m still staring at El Castillo as we walk, seeing the people crawling up and down it. When the group was together, Manuel launched into a brief history of the site and explanations of some of what we would be seeing. Manuel was pretty thorough throughout the tour, sometimes repeating things for those who hadn’t been paying attention the first time. I found him to be an excellent guide.
One thing I noticed right off. Although there were many tour groups there, the guides seemed quite adept at staying out of each other’s way. There were thousands of people there, some just touring on their own. I heard at least seven different languages and observed many different styles of clothing. I even saw a Sikh Indian. Manuel told us that at the first equinox gathering about 10 years ago, some 25,000 people were in attendance. This year, it was 67,000. This speaks not only for the powerful draw of the place, but also for the planning site management has done to provide for the convenience of the visitors.
Oh, another thing. If you go, wear good walking shoes and a hat, use sunscreen, and take plenty of water. I nearly emptied my liter bottle while we were there. Paul followed the group around with a cooler of ice water and cups. I thought that was a nice touch. And, note, there is an ambulance on the grounds as one enters the site. One hopes it isn’t needed, but it’s nice to know it’s there.
(We later heard an eyewitness account, I forget from whom, maybe Jorge the fisherman, about a woman who was at Chichén Itzá when a storm brewed up. She was taking pictures of El Castillo from the ground, and a hailstone hit her in the head and killed her instantly. Apparently it’s not just climbing and getting down from El Castillo one has to worry about.)
Okay, so where were we? Oh, yes, next to the Ballcourt. We proceeded into the Ballcourt itself and examined a prominent carving depicting the game. Manuel then demonstrated the interesting acoustical effect of the seven echoes if one claps ones hands under or near one of the rings. (I finally realized just how high up the wall those rings are!) He also told us about how people sitting in the tribunals opposite each other on the length of the Ballcourt can have a conversation with each other, even in a whisper, and be heard perfectly. I doubt that conversation could have gone on if a ballgame was in full progress, what with the pock-a-tock of the ball and the screaming spectators arrayed along the tops of the long walls.
We then walked over to the western face of El Castillo, where Manuel demonstrated an acoustical effect I had never read anything about. If one claps one’s hands together, a sharp “kew” sound echoes from the face of the pyramid, like the cry of a hawk or other bird of prey. He did it several times, and the sound was quite distinct. Apparently, you can only hear this on the ground. He joked that the people climbing on the pyramid probably wondered what we were clapping about, since they cannot hear the “kew.”
It was at this point that Manuel said if any of us chose to do so after his tour, we could come back and go up inside the inner pyramid or climb El Castillo. I looked straight at him and said, “Mix tux!” (I’m not going, remember?). He looked at me in surprise and started laughing. I then explained to him that I had “been there, done that” at the Pyramid of the Sun (in a mini-skirt, no less), and didn’t feel the need to do it again. When you’re at the top of one of these temples, you cannot see the steps! They are very steep, and probably those that went up them were never intended to walk down again (the priests had a way to the top through an inner passageway—no fools, they). Anyway, I came down the Pyramid of the Sun (and Moon) on my butt and did not care to repeat the experience, even in more demure shorts.
We then proceeded to the southern part of the site (actually, the Central Zone), looking at various buildings and listening to Manuel’s explanations. Finally, at the Caracol (Observatory), he cut us loose to explore on our own. We were told to be back at the bus at 3, which gave us a little over an hour. If anyone was late, the bus would leave without them. Paul would stay, and the tardy ones would have to get a taxi to go to the restaurant.
Submitted by: D. Stevens -- dragon5@fullnet.net
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