Chichen Itza, an ancient city covering an area of over 6 square kilometers, was recently recognized as one of the seven new wonders of the world. Located in the north of the Yucatan Peninsula, Chichen Itza attracts tourists from all over the world. The temples of wondrous beauty and the ominous Well of Death not only amaze the imagination, but also keep secrets that scientists are vainly trying to unravel.
Defeated master
According to most scholars, Chichen Itza was founded in the 5th-6th centuries AD. e. and was one of the largest Mayan cities. By the end of the 10th century, for unknown reasons, the city fell into decay, and it was occupied by the Toltecs - the wall inscriptions of the ancient city tell about the invasion of the invaders who overthrew the Mayan dynasty.
The Toltecs gave Chichen Itza a second life and, having united with the allied tribes, extended their influence over most of the Yucatan Peninsula. In any case, other large centers of this area - Uxmal, Mayapan - also bear the stamp of the dominance of the Toltec or mixed Maya-Toltec features in religion, architecture and sculpture. The population of the city, according to various estimates, ranged from 20,000 to 30,000 inhabitants. As the power of other political centers in Yucatan grew, the hegemony of Chichen Itza began to cause more and more discontent among them. The rulers of Chichen Itza came up with more and more taxes for their neighbors. This led to the fact that at the beginning of the XIII century, the combined forces of three cities - Itzmal, Mayapan and Uxmal - defeated the army of Chichen Itza in a decisive battle. By the end of the XIV century, the city again fell into decay, and then completely depopulated.
Well for girls
By the middle of the 16th century, when the Spaniards invaded Yucatan, Chichen Itza had been in ruins for centuries. As a result of excavations carried out on its territory, large architectural monuments of the Mayans and Toltecs were discovered: the temples of Kukulkan, Warriors and Jaguars; observatory Karakol; seven stadiums for ball games; ruins of four colonnades forming a giant rectangle (Group of a Thousand Columns), and others. Here, like no other place in Central America, statues of deities with a characteristic stylization of plastic forms, reliefs rich in floral and geometric ornaments, works of small plastic and artistic crafts are well preserved.
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But, above all, the attention of researchers and tourists is attracted by the so-called Death Well, or Sacred Cenote. The diameter of this well reaches 60 meters, and the depth is about 50. Here the Mayan priests threw girls sacrificed to the gods.
The well of death, into which girls were thrown, sacrificed to the gods
Pyramid of Kukulkan
From the Well of Death, a straight, stone-paved road 10 meters wide and 300 meters long leads to the temple of Kukulkan - the Feathered Serpent.
The temple is a pyramid 25 meters high, with a sanctuary on the upper platform. The base of the pyramid is a square with a side of 55.5 meters. The pyramid has nine levels, four wide staircases (91 steps each) rise along its sides. If the number of steps of one staircase is multiplied by 4 and the platform at the top of the pyramid is regarded as another step, then we get 91x4 + 1 = 365 - the number of days in a year. This and many other coincidences gave scientists reason to assert that the pyramid of Kukulkan, as well as a number of other buildings of Chichen Itza, had some mysterious astronomical purpose.
It is worth noting that this pyramid is oriented strictly along the four cardinal directions. On the sides of the first step of the staircase, which rises along the northern side of the pyramid, there are stone serpentine heads, which are the symbol of Kukulkan.
Return of the Feathered Serpent
An interesting feature of the Kukulkan pyramid was discovered in the 20th century during the restoration of this structure. Twice a year, on the days of the spring and autumn equinox, a special visual effect appears on the pyramid. Thousands of people gather in anticipation of an amazing sight.
At a strictly defined moment, on the steps of the northern staircase, thanks to the play of light and shadow, an image of a giant Feathered Serpent is formed, slowly sliding towards the base of the pyramid. Its tail is on the upper platform of the pyramid, and its body stretches downward along the stairs, where near the ground itself it seems to end with an imposing sculpture of a snake's head with a fiercely open mouth. This illusion lasts exactly 3 hours and 22 minutes.
One can only guess why the Maya sought to achieve such an effect and how they did it. Perhaps, to those who observed this phenomenon, it seemed that the sacred Feathered Serpent was thus revived. Modern pilgrims claim that at the sight of an unusual sight, spiritual enlightenment occurs.
This almost magical phenomenon of an ancient deity, announcing the onset of the equinox, shows that the ancient Maya had developed geodesy and astronomy. If the pyramid were turned even one degree to the side, the amazing play of light and shadow would be impossible!
Only a civilization with highly qualified topographers and astronomers could achieve incredible accuracy in order to get a unique image from the play of light and shadow in a precisely specified place at a given moment!
Amazing acoustics
The ancient builders of Chichen Itza precisely adjusted the location of every building in the city, achieving a special acoustic effect, which amplified even the quietest sounds. Guides, standing at the pyramid of Kukulkan, are happy to demonstrate to amazed tourists how the sound of clapping their hands causes a multiply amplified echo at the top of the pyramid.
The ball court also had amazing acoustic properties. Two people, one of whom was in the North Temple and the other in the South, could talk to each other without raising their voices, although they were separated by a distance of one and a half hundred meters! Moreover, not a single person standing nearby could hear their conversation. It is interesting that such a system for negotiations exists on the site to this day, and everyone can see for themselves.
Players had to hit such a ring with the ball
By the way, the local ball court is the most wonderful in all of Central America. It is large in size and is fenced with two high - 8.2 meters and long - 83 meters - parallel walls, the distance between which is 27 meters. Temples are located at both ends of the site.
The players' task was to hit the ball into one of the stone rings at the top of the wall. The competition was of a ritual, magical nature, as evidenced, in particular, by the Mayan epic Popol-Vuh. After playing on the high wall of the South Temple, the priests would light rubber balls. Thick smoke announced the beginning of a brutal ceremony, during which the captain of the winning team decapitated the captain of the losing team.
Other structures of the ancient city are also astonishing, for example, the Temple of Skulls, which is a T-shaped platform, the walls of which are covered with relief images of skulls.
Unfortunately, scientists still cannot explain not only the meaning of many bas-reliefs and sculptures, but even argue about the purpose of the buildings, which, apparently, were not only sanctuaries, but also performed some other functions.
Source: Secrets of the 20th century, no. 14, April 2009, Gleb Chernov
