Day: January 27, 2015

Chichen Itza, the most frightening wonder of the world

Today we visited Chichen Itza, one of the seven wonders of the world. I took a ton of pictures, so I’ll just post those here with captions.

This is the tree that produces the fruit that makes chicklet gum. ("Chichen" means "to chew.")
This is the tree that produces the fruit that makes chicklet gum. (“Chichen” means “to chew.”)
This Mayan temple is one of the seven wonders of the world. The Mayans would perform human sacrifices in this building. There is a lot of astrological significance to the architecture of the building as well.
This Mayan temple is one of the seven wonders of the world. The Mayans would perform human sacrifices in this building. There is a lot of astrological significance to the architecture of the building as well.
The Mayans played a ball game wherein they had to shoot an eight pound ball through that hoop without using their hands. The captain of the losing team got beheaded, and his head was displayed on a special building constructed for the sole purpose of displaying severed human heads.
The Mayans played a ball game wherein they had to shoot an eight pound ball through that hoop without using their hands. The captain of the losing team got beheaded, and his head was displayed on a special building constructed for the sole purpose of displaying severed human heads.
Our group learning about the ancient Mayan ball games.
Our group learning about the ancient Mayan ball games.
the serpent head. The serpent was the symbol of life for the Mayans.
the serpent head. The serpent was the symbol of life for the Mayans.
The reclining warrior. Victims of human sacrifice would be tied down on this while their hearts were cut open with obsidian knives.
The reclining warrior. Victims of human sacrifice would be tied down on this while their hearts were cut open with obsidian knives.
Standing cheerfully in front of this edifice of ancient horror. I am hiding the camera lens cap behind my back.
Standing cheerfully in front of this edifice of ancient horror. I am hiding the camera lens cap behind my back.
The well where ancient Mayans threw virgins and other people for sacrifice. If the virgins survived until the next day, it was a great omen from the gods since this pool was supposedly the connection between the underworld and our world. The virgins would have to first go to a sauna (Mayans had those), be dressed in heavy clothing and weighed down with jewelry before being pushed off a cliff into this pool. The pool was dredged in the last century, and scores of human skeletons were discovered at the bottom of the pool. Yikes.
The well where ancient Mayans threw virgins and other people for sacrifice. If the virgins survived until the next day, it was a great omen from the gods since this pool was supposedly the connection between the underworld and our world. The virgins would have to first go to a sauna (Mayans had those), be dressed in heavy clothing and weighed down with jewelry before being pushed off a cliff into this pool. The pool was dredged in the last century, and scores of human skeletons were discovered at the bottom of the pool. Yikes.

When we weren’t being scared silly by tales of ancient Mayan worship, we were…eating. The breakfast buffet was the best buffet I have ever been to in my life. There were multiple cheese plates with incredible cheeses, fresh ricotta, a ton of fresh exotic/non-exotic fruit, delightful fruit compotes, stuffed veggies, smoked salmon, an omelette bar, a taco bar, a bread bar, and hot buffet bar, and whatever drinks you could possibly desire to accompany your breakfast.

We had dinner at Las Ventanas, and the whole affair took two hours and forty five minutes. I wanted to take pictures of everything but it wasn’t appropriate. And now we are chowing down on room service. I love this place.

Back home the girls had fun in day care! We are so relieved. They were on our minds throughout the day, and when we heard Lydia tell us she made a lot of new friends, we were so happy. Mary even talked to us tonight! We are so happy they are so happy.