Chichen Itza

Friday we traveled by bus to Chichen Itza to visit the most famous of all the Mayan ruins in Mexico.  Two problems with this site:  too touristy and everything is blocked off.  No one can climb any of the ruins.  We came early as we had been warned about the tourist buses coming from Cancun.  We arrived at 9 a.m. and as we left around 12:30, we counted 10 tour buses in the parking lot! Over a million  visitors a year tour the site. Wayne estimated German and Italian tourists outnumbered American tourists about 3 to 1 the day we were there.

El Castillo or The Temple of Kukulkan 

In front of one of the many ruins at Chichen Itza

Ring at Ball Court

Can you image trying to put a 12 pound rubber ball through this ring 30 feet above the ground without using your hands? And guess what happens to the team that wins? No trophy--they were sacrificed. Some think only the team leader was killed but being sacrificed to the Mayan gods was considered an honor.

The ball court is 225 feet wide and 545 feet long. The acoustics of the building are so fine the sound echos off the walls and a simple hand clap reverberates back to you. One can stand at one end of the court and speak, and the words can be heard at the other end.

That evening we walked downtown to visit a Chocolate Factory.  We tasted several flavors of chocolate, including tequila, and drank a delicious cup of hot chocolate.  

We then went on a Tequila Tour in a 400-year-old building; of course, we tasted several samples here as well.

Our guide shows us how the agave is first roasted and then distilled

Friends enjoy the tour

We finish our wonderful day with a delicious meal at Conata's with our new friends. By the way, we had a chicken dish prepared with a chipotle cream sauce, stuffed zucchini, beer, and chocolate crepes for about $22 for the two of us.  Gourmet on a budget!

Jack (England), Alex (Holland) and Adriana (Minnesota via Venezuela)