Chichen Itza was a Mayan city. What most tourists think of as Chichen Itza is the Temple of Kukulcán (El Castillo), as it’s the landmark used in tour guides. There’s more to Chichen Itza than El Castillo, however. The longer you’re able to stay at Chichen Itza, the better chance you’ll have to see everything. We were only able to see about 2/3 of the site on our tour.
Picking a Tour
There are tours to Chichen Itza leaving from Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and even Tulum (although Playa del Carmen is most common). There are also a wide variety of tour offerings. Some are just Chichen Itza by itself. Others include a swim in a cenote (underground swimming hole), and many also include a stop at Valladolid, a colonial city. If possible, we recommend finding a tour that stops at Chichen Itza first, then a cenote (or other stops) on the way back. Those will usually be billed as “Early Access”, “Early Bird”, “Early Morning”, etc. You’ll be at Chichen Itza not only when it’s less crowded, but also when it’s less hot. Then, as the day heats up, you’ll be ready for a cool swim in a cenote.
If you’re staying on Cozumel, you’ll either need to take the earliest ferry to Playa del Carmen, or get a room for the night before the tour. Most tours leave Playa del Carmen at 7:30, so you won’t have much time if you take the earliest (6:30am) ferry from Cozumel.
Our Tour
The tour we chose (before we knew it would be best to start at Chchen Itza) took us to a cenote, then lunch, then Chichen Itza, and finally, Valladolid. The tour was operated by Cancun Bay Tours, and booked through Viator. Despite the tour group name, all of the pickups were in Playa del Carmen. The bus was comfortable, with air conditioning and a bathroom.
Cenote Saamal
There are several famous cenote’s frequented by tour groups. Our tour visited Cenote Saamal. Life jackets are required ($4 USD rental fee), and there are changing rooms, lockers, and showers. It was a nice cenote, with a small waterfall you can swim under. There’s an observation deck for those who don’t want to swim.
Lunch
After the swim, we stopped for lunch. The lunch itself was buffet style, but there weren’t many options. The food was OK, but nothing to write home about. Also, our tour stayed far too long at this stop. It began with a long (nearly 20 minute) lecture from our guide that only those in the very front were able to hear. Evidently it was something about a Mayan blessing. After the lecture, we had to wait another 15 minutes for our turn at the buffet. Luckily there was a gift shop where we could wait! (Yes, that’s sarcasm…) Finally, after getting some food, we were off to Chichen Itza.
Chichen Itza
Once we arrived at the Chichen Itza complex, we were handed off to another guide who took us through part of the grounds. Our guide only covered Kukulcan (El Castillo), the ball court, and the Platform of Eagles and Jaguars. She spent far too much time taking photos with everyone’s camera phones. It would have been nice to cover more of the grounds, since there’s so much more to see. After her tour concluded, we had enough time to visit a few more structures, but there was still about 1/3 we were unable to see.
Temple of Kukulcán (El Castillo)
The Temple of Kukulcán (pictured above) is the most famous structure at Chichen Itza. This is the temple that, around the spring and fall equinoxes, casts a shadow of a snake down one corner of the temple. It’s also the temple that whistles. (You’ll have to experience that for yourself, rather than me try to describe it. Suffice it to say, it’s an engineering marvel.)
Platform of Eagles and Jaguars
The Platform of Eagles and Jaguars is situated between the Great Ball Court and El Castillo, and just next to The Tzompantli, or Skull Platform. The sides are decorated with panels depicting eagles and juaguars consuming human hearts.
The Great Ball Court + Temples
The Great Ball Court is the largest and best preserved ball court in ancient Mesoamerica. It measures 551 ft by 230 ft. The walls on either side of the field are 26 ft high. Built into the east wall are the Upper and Lower Temples of the Jaguar. The Upper Temple overlooks the ball court and has an entrance guarded by two, large columns.
The Lower Temple of the Jaguar opens behind the ball court. The outer columns and the walls inside the temple are covered with elaborate bas-relief carvings.
At one end of the Great Ball Court is the North Temple, also known as the Temple of the Bearded Man. This small masonry building has detailed bas relief carvings on the inner walls, including a center figure that has carving under his chin that resembles facial hair.
Tzompantli (Skull Platform)
The Tzompantli, or Skull Platform, depicts impaled skulls stacked on top of one another.
Temple of the Warriors and Group of a Thousand Columns
The Temple of the Warriors complex consists of a large stepped pyramid fronted and flanked by rows of carved columns depicting warriors. This temple encases or entombs a former structure called The Temple of the Chac Mool.
Along the south wall of the Temple of Warriors are a series of exposed columns, although when the city was inhabited these would have supported an extensive roof system. The columns are in three distinct sections.
Valladolid and the Cathedral of San Servacio
The final stop of our tour was the colonial city of Valladolid. We only had time to explore the main square, which had snack vendors, and the Cathedral of San Servacio, which sits directly across from the square. In our opinion, this stop was unnecessary. We would have preferred to have more time at Chichen Itza. If you can find a tour that does Chichen Itza and a cenote, without stopping at Valladolid, that would be the way to go.
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