Chichén Itzá

Visiting Chichén Itzá has always been on my massive bucket list. I would love to visit all of the ancient buildings of the Mayans as their culture intrigues me. Chichén Itzá, being the most famous city of the ancient Mayans, is pure magic. As we waited at the entrance of the park, the students were drinking as much water as possible after getting their cameras set up and ready to take fantastic pictures of one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

The smell of sunscreen surrounded our group as we passed through the entrance into the busy dirt road market were a once powerful ancient people tamed the natural world and made sense of the mysteries of the universe. Rows of colourful artisan goods stood upon booths as wishful salesmen shouted prices at the tourists shuffling by. Through the noise and commotion, I imagined what the Mayan world looked like centuries ago in my own mind. The pyramid, observatory and church stood as crumbling reminders of a time when true peace and happiness was built from nothing and powered by love and community.

At this point, our group had split into two, where half cowered in the shade of the trees that hung in solace with the buildings they had grown old beside, and where the other half bravely accepted the full force of the Mexican sun beating down on the back of their necks. For those rosy travelers, the curiosity had long since escaped them and they stood in silence, listening intently to the guide’s broken English. The guide answered so many of our questions, although there countless questions that he would never be able to answer, as the Mayan people kept many secrets.

I believe that the true beauty of the city is in the secrets trapped forever within the limestone walls. We were only able to catch a fleeting glimpse of the magic in the ancient city when we stood in a circle holding hands and all closed our eyes for one full minute. I felt the energy inside of me from the fauna and flora that surrounded me. Weather, war, men steel, guns, and disease may destroy a people, but the things they built and the power that the love they had for each other and for this place they built from the forest will live on for as long as the stars they used to watch silently.

The city was absolutely beautiful. We looked at the structures that stood before us, noticing how perfectly straight the rocks were carved and placed onto each other to build these amazing temples. It is absolutely incredible how smart the Mayans used to be. It will forever remain a question how the Mayans build such large buildings without the materials and technology that we have today. What makes Chichén Itzá such an amazing place is the energy that remains in the ancient civilization’s home with many secrets that we will never understand.