The South End structures

When you reach the South Group, you first come to the Ossuary, or Grave of the High Priest, to the right of the trail. Although mostly ruined, it is similar in design to El Castillo, though built on a smaller scale. There are remains of serpent columns on top, pillars carved with human figures, and the temple walls. Near the base of the Ossuary are several carved stone panels.

Simple medial and cornice moldings, a perforated central roof comb, and a flying facade with Chac masks form the exterior decorations. The walls are plain between the upper moldings and below the medial molding, giving a feeling of sober restraint. The Red House (so called because of a red strip painted on a wall) is in Puuc style. Its other name, Chichán-Chob, is Maya and probably means something like "small holes," referring to the latticework in the roof comb. A band of glyphs is found on the vault of the interior of the structure, and it has been dated to 869 A.D.

Following the main trail south leads to El Caracol. This is one of the most imposing structures in the South Group. Caracol means "snail", in Spanish and, by extension, "spiral". Referring to the Caracol that has served as an observatory. It it is the only round structure found at Chichén Itzá. The upper terrace of El Caracol has some three-dimensional sculptures of human heads. This is a good place for photographs of some of the other buildings.

Due south of El Caracol is the Temple of the Sculptured Panels. The panels are on the north and south exterior walls of the lower portion of the building, and a rocky path leads to the temple on top from the south side. This also is a good vantage point for photographs of El Caracol and other structures.

A short distance southwest of the Temple of the Sculptured Panels two of the most interesting buildings in the area can be found. The largest is Las Monjas, or the Nunnery, with its annex' that measures 210 feet long, 105 feet wide, and more than 50 feet high. This building saw several building stages, leading to its present impressive size. There is a lot of interesting detail here, especially in the form of Chac masks. A doorway in the east face of the annex forms the open mouth of a monster, a feature associated with the Chenes style, although the rest of the structure is Puuc style. The upper level of Las Monjas has some carved lintels still in place.

About 100 yards east by foot trail is the Akab-Dzib ("Obscure Writing"), named for some hieroglyphs appearing on a lintel (including a date equivalent to A.D. 870). This structure was built in at least two stages. The central portion was constructed first, and the flanking north and south wings later. The wings are undecorated except for simple medial and cornice moldings.

The third section of Chichén Itzá, is "Old Chichén". The structures are scattered in the bush, but are connected by trails, which begin south of Hacienda Chichén (now a hotel). Visiting "Old Chichén entails a hot steamy hike into the bush, but some of the structures are worth the effort.

To see the structures you must have a guide, such protocol is similar in Tikal, Palenque, and Copan. While some of the trails are easy to follow, not all of the branches are marked, and sometimes parts of the trail are overgrown. You can ask for a guide at the ticket office en the service building when you enter the side of the site.

The Old Chichén structures

When you visit "Old Chichén," you come first to the Date Group, the most interesting in the area. The name comes from a lintel with an Initial Series date of A.D. 879.

It is the only Initial Series date known from Chichén Itzá, and the lintel is found spanning the top of two Atlantean figures, which form the doorway of a small temple, only the lower walls of which remain.

It has been said that the lintel was previously used in an earlier building. A small Chac Mool is found at the base of the mound that supports the temple.

Just south is the Puuc-style Temple of the Phalli, and behind this are remains of several structures, Atlantean figures, and carved columns. A short distance northwest is an enclosure with more Atlantean figures and, a bit farther on, a crude sculpture of a serpent. Just west of the Temple of the Phalli is a structure called the Tecolotes ("owls"), with remains of carved columns depicting owls and other motifs. The trail to the next area of interest leaves from the Telecotes and heads southwest.

Just a short distance southwest is the Temple of the Three Lintels, the only restored structure in "Old Chichén ", and a gem. It is a Puuc-style structure, faced with thin veneer masonry associated with the style. Although other structures at Chichén Itzá are also in Puuc style, they generally lack this particular feature. Chac masks decorate the upper facade and are interspersed with engaged columns and a lattice pattern; the lower walls are plain. Two of the lintels, dated A.D. 879, are carved on their front edges.

From the Temple of the Three Lintels, you retrace your steps part of the way before taking a side trail to the left. This brings you to two structures that are kept reasonably well cleared. The one you reach first is mostly a rubble mound but is worth climbing to see the remains of carved rectangular columns on top. A bit southwest is the Castillo of "Old Chichén." It is also mostly rubble, but there are remains of carved facing stones on the west side, a stairway on the north side, and carved columns and jambs on top. There is also a carved serpent head near the base of the Castillo that was probably a part of the original construction. From the top of this structure Las Monjas and El Castillo of the North Group are visible to the northeast, in the distance.

Ceramic evidence indicates that Chichén Itzá was occupied from the Middle Pre-classic period onward. It grew steadily to a position of regional importance, and during the ninth to twelfth centuries. It was the political and cultural center of northern Yucatán.

Exactly when Mexican influence first appeared at Chichén Itzá, and how it reached the site, is still being debated and studied, and continuing epigraphic research will doubtless add to our knowledge about the history of the site. At present, some authorities believe that two groups arrived at Chichén Itzá:the Itzás are said to have been Putun or Chontal Maya, whose home was along the Gulf Coast of Mexico between Tabasco and Champotón. They were known as sea traders and have been called the "Phoenicians of the New World" by Sir J. Wric S. Thompson. Thompson believed that they had trade connections with the people of central Mexico (through their merchants) and a sea route from Tabasco, around the Yucatán Peninsula, to Copan, Honduras.

The Toltecs were the dominant group in central Mexico during the late Terminal Classic and Early Postclassic times. Legend has it that some of this group, led by the famous Ce Acatl Topiltzin Quetzalcóatl, left their capital at Tula and proceeded to Yucatán. It is possible, however, that the "Toltecs who arrived in Yucatán were a highly Mexicanized group of Chontal Maya who were associated with the Toltecs. Some authorities believe that the Itzás arrived in Yucatán around AD 866, led by Kakupacal, and that the "Toltecs" followed around 987. Other scholars believe that the Itzás arrived after the "Toltecs." Still others believe that there was no "Toltec invasion" and that exotic ideas arrived at Chichén Itzá along with trade goods. Edward Kurjack says, "These new concepts were fused with indigenous art forms to crate the mixture observed at Chichén Itzá." He further states that this apparent foreign influence "seems to have been a by-product of native commerce."

According to E. Wyllys Andrews V, "An increasingly accepted argument is that Mexican influence was present in Yucatán considerably before the collpse of the Puuc cities, quite possibly before A.D. 900, and that Puuc and "Toltec" Chichén Itzá coexisted in northern Yucatán for a century or more. "Other authorities also suggest that the two different architectural styles may have been contemporaneous, at least in part. After Chichén Itzá went into decline sometime before A.D. 1200, Mayapán became the dominant center in northern Yucatán. Nevertheless, pilgrims still visited Chichén Itzá, as they had for many centuries, and this continued until the Spanish conquest.

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Original article: Duende Tours - Chichen Itza History

References

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