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Invisible input - wisdom

Background

Chichen Itza and Chichen Viejo make up on large site containing many unexcavated buildings spread over about 3 square miles [or more].  Its name means ‘near the fountain of the Itza people’, it was thus another water site.  It was founded in about 450 AD by the Maya.  The Toltec culture began to merge with the Mayan in about 1000AD when the Toltec king Quetzalcoatl – plumed or feathered serpent – was driven out of Tula for being [and I quote] ‘too human and peace loving.’

Occupation appears to have been continuous into the Classic period.  From the Classic come many very fine buildings, many of which have now been restored.  The mask of the rain god is very prominent as decoration.

According to the source I used, Post Classic Chichen suffered from wars and other violent events.  The buildings have been given Spanish names, which is intensely annoying as they reflect largely catholic thinking, for example, ‘the Nunnery’.

The main pyramid is 75 foot high, had 9 terraces, originally had four staircases and balustrades of serpents.

An enormous natural well formed by the collapse of the limestone plain links to subterranean caves.  It is reached by an ancient paved causeway from the main plaza.  According to the guidebooks this was used for human sacrifice, however,  I think this to be highly unlikely given the symbolism of the pool and its potential as drinking and irrigation water.  Another far more plausible theory I unearthed was that the area suffered a terrible drought in which the pool dried up and hundreds died.  The dead were simply thrown in, as a form of offering, but also a symbolic death, given there were too few to perform normal funeral rites.  Or they may have been victims of the wars.

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References