Steven Skelley: 2019

Monday, October 28, 2019

Chichen Itza, Mexico Mayan Ruins photo tour by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong

Chichen Itza is one of our favorite archeological sites in Mexico. We have visited several times and enjoyed ourselves each time. We want to return again just to see the evening light displays which we've heard are spectacular.

Chichen Itza means the city on the edge of the well of the Itzáes. Cancun means nest of vipers.

The town of Chichen Itza was built close to two natural cavities (cenotes or chenes) which gave the town its name "At the edge of the well of the Itzaes". The cenotes allowed them to tap into underground water.

Chichen Itza is the second most visited archeological site of Mexico today. The Kukulkan Pyramid in Chichen Itza, also known as El Castillo or The Castle, is one of the new seven wonders of the world.

Each equinox, as the sun rises over the horizon, light seems to descend the down the stairway until it reaches the serpent's head. The design of the structure is absolutely perfect.

Stone carvings decorate structures like the Ball Court where teams played a sport similar to soccer. According to our local guides, the game was played for a strange reward - the winning captain was ceremonially executed! It was considered a great honor.

The ancient city thrived from around 600 A.D. to the 1200 A.D.

For more information, visit www.chichenitza.com

Article and photos by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong
Copyright 2019

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El Rey Mayan Ruins Photo Tour in Cancun, Mexico by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong

We spent a week at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico. We were delighted to discover a Mayan ruins just down the street. The El Rel archeological site is the perfect place for an easy walk through ancient Mayan history. Admission was onlt $3.00 U.S.

El Rey reached its peak in the early classical period of 250-600 AD. The first settlers built houses.

Between the years 200 and 1200 AD. the inhabitants of the site worked as fishermen and in salt extraction.

In a later period the site gained importance because immigrants arrived from the interior of the Yucatan Peninsula, approximately between 1300 and 1500 AD. The structures that can currently be seen date from then.

Within the coastal commercial network El Rey was one of the ports on the Caribbean coast. Other important ports in the south were Xcaret, Xelha, Tulum, and Muyil.

After the arrival of the Spaniards in the sixteenth century, the site was abandoned by the Mayans.

El Rey is the most important archaeological site on the island of Cancun. It is made up of 47 structures of varying functions. Archaeologists have found remains of mural paintings and drawings dating from the post-classical period.

During the excavation of a temple in 1975, archaeologists found the burial site of a person of high rank, with a copper axe, a bracelet, and ornaments of shell and bone.

Given the lack of glyphic inscription, the site’s original name is unknown, and it was only recently named “El Rey” because of the discovery of a sculpture of a human face crowned with an elaborate headdress, which probably represents a high-ranking person. Today, this piece is safely guarded and on display at the Archaeological Museum of Cancún.

El Rey is the most important archaeological zone in Cancún. It consists of 47 structures that preserve remnants of a mural painting with representations of Mayan deities and symbols. These buildings served as temples and residences for high status people.

For more information, visit http://mundomaya.travel/en/arqueologia-maya/item/el-rey.html