17 OCT 2017
Chichen Itza, a UNESCO world heritage, was one of the greatest Mayan centers of the Peninsula of Yucatan. The Maya originated around 3,000 years ago in present-day Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and Mexico.
Throughout its nearly 1,000 years history, different peoples have left their mark on this city. The Maya and Toltec vision of the world and the universe is revealed in their artistic works and stone monuments. Several buildings have survived, such as the Warriors’ Temple, El Castillo and the circular observatory known as El Caracol. The monuments of Chichen-Itza, particularly in the northern group, which includes the Great Ball Court, the Temple of Kukulkan and the Temple of the Warriors, are among the undisputed masterpieces of Mesoamerican architecture because of the beauty of their proportions, the refinement of their construction and the splendor of their sculpted decorations.
In the northern region of the Yucatan peninsula, on a limestone plateau lie the relics of Chichen Itza, once one of the most powerful cities of the Maya. Ruins of the temples of this ancient civilization spread from the Guatemala jungles to the Yucatan. Today, Chichen Itza attracts millions of visitors who come to marvel at the spectacular remains.
The Mayan empire flourished in the southern regions from around 250 AD to 900 AD. After the 13th Century no major monuments seem to have been constructed at Chichen-Itza and the city rapidly declined and collapsed after around 1440 AD. The ruins were not excavated until 1841 AD.
Scholars have suggested, among other reasons, disease, political upheaval, overpopulation or drought. But while the empire in the south waned, that in the north, especially in the Yucatan, flourished until the Spanish conquests of the 16th century AD.
The Maya used their mathematical knowledge along with celestial observations to finesse a calendar created by the Olmec which is a culture from the Mexican Gulf Coast and to create monuments to observe and commemorate movements of the moon, the sun, and Venus.
Equinox in Chichen Itza is truly a dramatic display of Mayan Astronomical knowledge, stunning architecture and incredible geometry. People built pyramid to calculate the time of year when the hours of day and night equal in 1500 BC.
18TH OCT 2017
Cancun Airport to Miami (USA) by flight.
19th OCT at MIAMI – Grand Beach Hotel.