Hotel Mayaland, Tales of the Mayan Sky and and Cenote Ik Kil

We were able to go swimming in the Cenote.  The water was very very cool - but refreshing.  A series of steps had been carved through the limestone to allow for an easier descent.  The water was about 100 feet below the ground and the depth of the pool was about 40 feet.

The Chichen Itza complex is near a small village Piste.  The main city in the region is Valladolid.

We also watched a wonderful presentation of the Tales of the Mayan Sky.  This film was projected on the domed ceiling of a theater built on the grounds of the Mayaland hotel.




Tales of the Maya Skies brings us back to the ancient jungles of Mexico, where the Maya built cities and temples aligned to movements of the Sun, Moon and planets. Over many years they observed and documented astronomical events with great accuracy.
The Maya made sense of an ever-changing world by observing, recording and predicting natural events such as solstices, solar eclipses, weather patterns, and planetary movements. These observations, in combination with a sophisticated mathematical system, allowed them to develop a precise calendar system; their measurements of the length of the solar year were more accurate than measurements the Europeans used as the basis of the Gregorian calendar. The Maya also predicted eclipses, were able to forecast seasonal change and developed the concept of mathematical zero, enabling them to predict events into the future.

We stayed at Mayaland Hotel - which had views of the Chichen Itza Complex.