Chichén boring Itzá: Maya ruins in Chichén Itzá, Mexico | The Family Without Borders

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Chichén boring Itzá

Mexico: The Maya Temple in Chichen Itza (Yucatan Peninsula)

Mexico: The Maya Temple in Chichen Itza (Yucatan Peninsula)

I’m seriously wondering how did Chichen Itza make it to be between new seven wonders of the world. More tourists and souvenirs than wonders!

“El Castillo” (the building we all know from the ‘wonders of the world’ albums) and all the rest of the ruins are for sure the most famous and seems like the best restored of all the Maya ruins in Yucatan. But the feeling of visiting something special is taken away first: on the entrance (when you suddenly have to pay twice in 30 metres), secondly: when you realise how small the Castillo is (25m), thirdly: by all the guys running around and selling kitschy souvenirs.

Chichen Itza’s most important thing is the Maya astronomical calendar put on the El Castillo. This time temple is not an easy thing to understand (especially if the guide costs around 50-60 euros and reading the book is disturbed by all the sellers with magnets, carpets and all the other bullshit). In two moments of the year (vernal and autumnal equinoxes (meaning: 20/21st March and 21/22nd September) the sun produces illusion made of light and shadow of the side of the temple’s staircase. The funny thing that they repeat the illusion, with artificial light.. every day!

What we found out is that the total amount of the stairs on the pyramid is 365, like amount of days in the year (91 on each side) and that there is 52 panels (like 52 years in Maya calendar).

Another interesting part of visiting the Chichen Itza is clapping. Every single minute there is a group of tourists with a guide, who stands in front of the temple and claps their hands: first the guide claps and then all the group is repeating it. There is a strong echo effect but all of it, with this intensity, looks and sounds ridiculous.

All in all, all of us was disappointed. Hanna the most, that it was not allowed to climb the stairs (right now her favourite activity).


Our first book is out!

We have published our first book (for now just in Polish:) about our Central America Trip.
See, read and order here »

4 Comments

  • joe
    Posted February 18, 2013 at 07:24 | Permalink

    Chichen Itza is beautiful and not boring.

    Reply
  • Em Rudy
    Posted April 7, 2013 at 17:33 | Permalink

    kind of sad and superficial. You did no research or have any understanding of what it is to be cultured.
    The “clap” mathematically matches a sacred bird chirp when echoed and standing in the right place. It’s mathematical, acoustical and physical genius.

    You should rename your site to “a family of ‘idiots abroad’ “

    Reply
  • Gonzalo
    Posted June 27, 2013 at 05:20 | Permalink

    It’s so sad to see and read the ignorance of the”cult” polish foreigners when they come to my country, the only thing you all like to do is get wasted in Cancún and think the big crap about yourselves.
    First of all: you are a liar, you only have to pay once, at the entrance. Learn to travel and don’t get fooled, fool!
    Second: The illumination at night is for you to enjoy, so you don’t have to come on such dates, so just be thankfull and enjoy the moment, fool!
    Thirdly: I admit, it does sound stupid when people is clapping but let them enjoy their trip, for what I see and read you are a bitter person who just criticizes how other people enjoy themselves. And you should learn about the clapping effect before referring to it like “There is a strong echo effect but all of it, with this intensity, looks and sounds ridiculous”. You should read about the places you are going to visit before you speak without knowledge of it, otherwise you are just throwing your money away!

    Your post lacks good grammar and spelling.

    Reply
  • Tom
    Posted December 13, 2013 at 14:08 | Permalink

    If you care about your blog you should get some help with your English. Perhaps a native editor/proofreader for your content. I have read through some posts on this site and both your grammar and vocabulary are lacking.

    I would also suggest to do some more research about sites like Chichén IItzá before calling them “boring”. That tells a lot about you.

    Cheers!

    Reply

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