Mayan Magnificence

The Magnificent Mayans
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Leaving the hot, stinky, tourist ridden Cancun behind us, we headed off to Piste, a small town right on the doorstep of Chichen Itza. The 5 hour trip was uneventful and when we arrived in Piste, we quickly found a hotel on the main street and then walked the 2.5km to the Chichen Itza ruins. It was getting close to dusk but we managed to get in and have a quick peek before settling in for the light and sound show, memorable for the long winded pronunciation of “Chicccccccchhhhhhhhennnnnnn Itttttttttttzzzzzzzzzzaaaaaaaaaaa!”. It was a good, little production and really wet my appetite to come back the next day and fully explore this extraordinary complex of ruins.

The original basketball. You lose..you die!
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Arriving at 8 in the morning for opening time, we had the place to our selves for a few hours. The Mayan and Toltec buildings are astounding, especially impressive is the much photographed Kukulcan Temple pyramid, the Ball Court, the Temple of Warriors, the Nunnery and the Sacred Cenote, which may or may not have been used to sacrifice young virgins to the Gods. Climbing to the top of the huge pyramid is a must, and the views from the summit reveal more amazing monuments excavated from the lush, jungle setting. Having no clambering tourists was a huge bonus and by the time the bus loads of day trippers had arrived we were looking at the ruins on the extremities of the site. Wandering about the ruins leaves you in a sense of awe. Much like the Incas, the Mayans and the Toltecs before them, were unbelievable builders. Walking amongst such structures was very humbling, after all Chichen Itza is believed to be over a thousand years old.

Climbing to the top of the huge pyramid is a must, and the views from the summit reveal more amazing monuments excavated from the lush, jungle setting

Whilst watching overweight Americans clamber up the sides of these massive monuments was entertaining, it was soon time to leave. Chichen Itza aside, there was no other reason to stay in Piste so catching a bus we headed westward to Merida.