Chichen Itza - Platform of Venus and the Astromony Achievements of the Maya

Ancient Maya Astronomy:

The ancient Maya were keen astronomers, recording and interpreting every aspect of the sky. As they believed that the will and actions of the Gods could be read in the stars, moon and planets, they dedicated much time to doing so and many of their most important buildings were constructed with astronomy in mind. The Sun, Moon and planets (Venus in particular) were studied by the Maya. The Maya also based their calendars around astronomy.

The Maya and the Sky:

The Maya believed that the Earth was the center of all things, fixed and immovable. The stars, moons, sun and planets were gods: their movements were seen as them going between the Earth, the Underworld and other celestial destinations. These Gods were greatly involved in human affairs, and so their movements were watched closely. Many events in Maya life were planned to coincide with certain celestial moments: for example, a war might be delayed until the Gods were in place, or a ruler might ascend to the throne of a Maya city-state only when a certain planet was visible in the night sky.

 

 

One amazing astronomical achievement is the Maya could track the transit of Venus which occur approximately every 234 years. 

 

Serpent heads at the Temple of Venus

 

The Maya and Venus:

The Maya were aware of the planets in the solar system and marked their movements. By far, the most important planet to the Maya was Venus, which they associated with war. Battles and wars would be arranged to coincide with the movements of Venus and captured warriors and leaders would likewise be sacrificed according to the position of Venus in the night sky. The Maya painstakingly recorded the movements of Venus and determined that its year (relative to earth, not the sun) was 584 days long, amazingly close to the 583.92 days that modern science has determined.

 

Chichen Itza - our 7th Wonder of the World

 

View of the "Observatory" in the Chichen Itza complex from our hotel - Mayaland.

 

Our guide - Dr. Alphonse Morales explains the complex of the Chichen Itza complex

 

 

Our first glimpse of Chichen Itza!  We have completed our quest to visit the 7 Wonders of the New World.  The first Wonder we visited was the Colosseum of Rome in Italy, followed by the Great Wall of China, The Taj Mahal, Petra Jordan, Machu Picchu in Peru, The Statue of Christ the Redenter in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. 

Chichen Itza defined; The Observatory

A map show the layout of the Chichen Itza Complex.  The Maya have utilized this location since about 400 ad.  The complex was abandoned in the 1300's. So when then Spanish came - the ruins were crumbling and covered by the jungle.  The size of the complex is approximate 5 square km.

 

El Caracol - the Snail.  This is an observatory - their is a circular staircase inside the dome.  The 8 tiny windows precisely align with the points of the compass rose.

 

One of the most undisputed facts regarding the Maya was their unique ability to predict movements in the stars.  Most of the complex are aligned with the sun and the seasons.    The May could accurately predict the orbits of Venus, The moon, comets and also eclipses. 

Anexo de las Monjas - Temple of the Monks.  Was considered to be the entrance to the underworld

 

The façade of the Temple of the Monks has an elaborate relief of the Rain God Chaac.

Temple de los Guerreos and Plaza de Mil Columns at Chichen Itza

 

Another view of the pyramid under the brilliant Mexico sky

 

Temple de los Guerreos - has a Toltec influence and was once covered with a thatched roof.

 

Plaza de Mil Columns - part of the Temple complex.  Plaza of the thousand columns

Cenote Sagrado - Well of Sacrifice

 

The sacbe - a raised and paved road that connects the El Castillo pyramid to the Centoe Sagrado

Looking into the Cenote.  The Yucatan region of Mexico is mainly limestone.  Surface water is very hard to find - but the Maya relied on underground lakes call a cenote for continuous water supply.

 

 

Many items were for sale along the walk to the Cenote

 

Tzompantli - The Wall of Skulls

 

Tzompantli - Wall of the skulls.  Reliefs of many skulls face the platform

 platform where bodies of sacrificial victims are displayed

 

The Ball Court at Chichen Itza

 

Images from the "Juego de pelota" or the Ball Court at Chichen Itza.  An elaborate game was played within the stadium of the Ball Court where players tried to send a ball through a small ring which using their hands.  (Does this sound a little like soccer?)

 

 

 

This ball court is the largest in Mesoamerica.

 

The acoustics are so good within the ball court that one could whisper and be understood clear across the plaza.

 

Carvings show a decapitation with blood spurting from the victim's neck.  Whether it was the winner or the loser is not known.

El Castillo - The pyramid at Chichen Itza

Coba, Mexico - The Ball Court

 

An example of how the game was played.  The player could not use his hands.  So he used his hips to lift the ball high enough to make it through the ring on the side of the court.

 

The playing floor of the Ball Court

 

The ring on the ball court

 

Coba, Mexico - The Stele and the story

A drawing of the Stele

 

The Observatory

The Observatory

Only a small part of the complex has been excavated