The Americas

The ancient city of Chichen Itza, once the centre for the great Mayan Empire and one of the 7 ancient wonders of the world, was a bucket list item that was to be ticked off by the end of today. The day started early with an early hour bus trip to the ancient town. By the time we disembarked, it was close to midday, and the heat was brutal. Given that a lot of the area had been cleared for unrestricted viewing of the monuments, there is little protection from the sun. That being said, it wasn't going to stop us. We started by going to the Gran Juego de Pelota, where we could see the location for the Mayan sport, Tlachtli. It is renowned for its place in their religious beliefs (generally, the teams represent the sun and night), brutality, and excitement. It was commonplace for executions to have occurred during games that took place on religious occasions. Looking over the stadium was where the temple of the jaguar was situated. Unfortunately, we could not access this section, but it was cool to see from the ground level regardless. After this, we wandered around the outside of the site to make the most of the shade as well as explore the lesser known parts of the ancient city. Purposefully leaving the main el Castillo till the end, partly to minimise crowds as well as heat. The route we took included many temples, an observatory, fortresses, residences, and other markets and living quarters. We had chosen not to get a guide, and so there was limited information available about each, but you could still understand the general layout and propose of each structure, which was enough. After a quick break to gather some energy and cool down, we then re-entered the main area and could walk the massive Mayan pyramid, which has made this site famous. Given that it was later in the afternoon, there were also a lot fewer people and so we could much more easily get a good picture without people in the way. After admiring the massive structure, we had essentially seen all that the area had to offer. We saw the main temple quickly before waking toward the main cenote for the village that played a large role in the creation of the city, it's religious beliefs, and, of course, in the supply of water for the villagers. This was slightly undergwleming as when we arrived the cenote wasn't particularly clear and you couldn't swim due to the cultural significance of the site. As such, we headed for the exit and made our way back to the town of Valladolid. On our way back, we debated as to whether to see some cenotes, but the cost of the threw us off. We explored the beautifully colourful city and had some ice cream as we walked. After some time exploring, we checked in and tried to find some more affordable cenotes, but no ubers were available. We conceded defeat and enjoyed an afternoon by the pool. We then headed for dinner as we were starving and spent a large amount of money on food and ate ourselves into a food coma. I barely made it home before falling asleep straight away. It was a long, hot, and tiring day, but a great day nonetheless.Read more