Chichén Itzá, Quintana Roo, Mexico

Chichén Itzá was a sacred city of the Itza and the name literally means: "Mouth of the well of the Itza". This archaeological site is rated among the most important of the Maya culture and covers an area of approximately six square miles where hundreds of buildings once stood. Now most are mounds but more than thirty may still be seen by tourists.

A vacation to this part of the world would not be complete without a guided tour. Tours may be booked through your hotel and prices will vary depending on the distance from your hotel.

Chichén Itzá Tour
If your tour originates in the Cancun area you can expect to travel for several hours each way in an air-conditioned bus with a friendly and very knowlegable bilingual guide. Along the way you will visit the Ik Kil Cenote, and enjoy a buffet lunch at Xay Beh Restaurant, where you will be entertained by Mayan dancers. The buffet lunch, snacks and all entery fees are included in the price of the tour. Drinks are extra.

We suggest you to bring comfortable shoes for walking, hat or cap, swimsuit, towel, sun block, a bottle of water and some extra money for buying souvenirs.

Kukulkan's PyramidItzá
Possibly the best known construction on the site is Kukulkan's Pyramid. El Castillo (Kukulkan-Quetzalcoatl), a square-based, stepped pyramid that is approximately 75 feet tall. This pyramid was built for astronomical purposes and during the vernal equinox (March 20) and the autumnal equinox (September 21) at about 3pm the sunlight bathes the western balustrade of the pyramid's main stairway. This causes seven isosceles triangles to form imitating the body of a serpent 37 yards long that creeps downwards until it joins the huge serpent's head carved in stone at the bottom of the stairway.