Chichen Itza

Learning about different cultures – and feeling some shame about my ignorance- continued when we visited Chichen Itza. First, I always thought this was a pyramid. Not! It is a government building that just has a similar shape to the Egyptian pyramids. Second, I didn’t know it was one of the 7 wonders of the world. Third, I didn’t know how it fit into Mayan history and culture. Fourth, but less significant, I didn’t know how HOT it was there. Ha!

So, according to our tour guide, my rudimentary understanding is this building was built as a government building to demonstrate the strength of the government and to provide a central place for displaying the Mayan calendar. The Mayan calendar is based on seasons – when to plant, when to harvest, etc. The structure is super cool because its appearance changes based on the sun and the season – optical illusions. And, the echo effects were awesome; for example, one way of clapping produced an echo that sounded like a bird. So many details about the mathematical and scientific skills needed to construct this building did not stay in my memory. The numbers 7 and 9 were important, though. Fascinating.

I loved the movies I watched in the 70s that suggested this building, others nearby and the Egyptian pyramids were created by aliens. The tour guide suggested that these theories (with respect to the Mayan buildings) emerged because no one knew the methods of construction. But, he went on, the loss of that information was because there had been a civil war and the folks in power when Chichen Itza was built did not pass along the information to those who took over. I will never rule out the possibility of aliens in any aspect of life, but in this case, I agree with the tour guide that our space friends weren’t needed, just Mayans with poor record- keeping.