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| El Castillo at Chichen Itza. |
We traveled to
Playa del Carmen, Mexico in November 2012 for our destination wedding. Additionally, I traveled previously to
Tulum, Mexico in December 2009 with friends. Over the course of my two visits, I have seen the following sights/participated in the following tours, which will be described in detail below:
Chichen Itza:
One of the most widely recognized and heavily visited archaeological sites in the world, the Mayan ruins of this World Heritage site, are famous for both their size and scope. The site includes numerous temples, alters, palaces, as well as the largest-known ball court in the Maya world. If you come to any part of the Rivera Maya and choose to do only one tour, make sure it's one that includes a visit to this amazing site.
On my first visit to Chichen Itza, I toured it on my own with my two friends. Although I found the ruins interesting, I felt at the time that it would have been even more interesting if we had a guided tour. As a result, for my next visit during the week of our destination wedding, we hired a company called
Mayans' Explorers to take our group of 23 friends and family out to the ruins for a guided tour. Our tour guide, Gudelio and his assistant did an amazing job with such a huge group of people. He provided commentary and a history lesson on the Rivera Maya from our departure in Playa del Carmen along the several hour drive to Chichen Itza. Visiting the ruins with the in-depth knowledge that Gudelio provided made my second visit so much more interesting than my first one was. I would, without a doubt, recommend this tour company. In addition to taking us to Chichen Itza, they also took us to Ek Balam and a nearby cenote.
There are dozens of different ruins and things to see at Chichen Itza, which would take days to thoroughly see. I spent about three hours at the ruins during both of my visits and was able to see the main highlights including El Castillo (the famous temple), the Great Ball Court, Tzompantli (Wall of Skulls), the Platform of the Eagles and Jaguars, the Sacred Cenote, the Platform of Venus, Temple of Warriors, the Group of a Thousand Columns, the Osario (Ossuary), and the El Caracol (the Observatory). After my two rushed visits, I would recommend putting aside four to five hours if you want to see nearly everything but still allow plenty enough time for breaks and a snack. Chichen Itza is incredibly spread out and you will be doing a lot of walking on your visit.
While at Chichen Itza, you will be bombarded with literally hundreds of vendors selling different items at tables spread throughout the site. Some of these items are tacky and cheap but there are a few diamonds in the rough including vendors that sell beautiful wood carvings or silver jewelry.
Be forewarned that it's very hot at Chichen Itza. Even though it was partly overcast out on my second visit the temperature was still in the 90s. Make sure to come prepared with lots of sunscreen and fluids. Unfortunately, my dad didn't follow my advice and got heat stroke while at the ruins, essentially ruining the rest of his day.
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| Lower Temple of the Jaguar at the Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza. |
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| Lower Temple of the Jaguar at the Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza. |
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| Lower Temple of the Jaguar at the Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza. |
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| Lower Temple of the Jaguar at the Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza. |
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| Lower Temple of the Jaguar at the Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza. |
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| Lower Temple of the Jaguar at the Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza. |
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| Lower Temple of the Jaguar at the Great Ball Court with El Castillo in the background at Chichen Itza. |
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| The Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza. |
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| The Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza. |
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| The Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza. |
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| Temple of the Bearded Man at the Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza. |
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| Temple of the Bearded Man at the Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza. |
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