| Chichen Itza: Views From the Top of El Castillo |
| The Yucatan, Mexico |
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| They had the right idea, sitting down to relax and enjoy the view after a tough climb. From this angle it is all jungle. But atop El Castillo is a great location to see the other famous structures at Chichen Itza. |
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| The Platform of Venus looks innocent, but it was one of several sites at Chichen Itza where human sacrifices took place. |
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| The Temple of the Warriors is the tiered structure, closed for repairs on this day. It is intertwined with the Group of the Thousand Columns and the Temple of Chac-Mool. Chac-Mool is the best known Mayan god, who reclines in a place of honor above the stairway far below. He had a taste for blood, and appears two pages ahead in the human sacrifice section. |
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| Although Chichen Itza had 8 ball courts, it is the main ball court, perfectly preserved, which I introduce with this view from El Castillo. The Maya were devoted to athletic encounters on these fields, and gave new meaning to the term "sudden death". |
| If you have a high speed internet connection, watch the Intrepid Berkeley Explorer's free streaming video of this trip to Central America and Mexico, "Mayavision", by clicking on AdventurePics.com . |
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