A day in Chichén Itzá

Chichén Itzá, Mexico

Dawn - Grassy plaza at dawn

Soft gold light lies on the pale stone, and long shadows cross the grass. I pause in the open plaza and take in the old city. Chichén Itzá is a pre-Columbian city in the northern lowlands, and it brings together different Mesoamerican building traditions.

Morning - The wide courtyard

The sky grows brighter over the wide courtyard, and the stone feels warm under my hand. I move between the tall structures and look along the rows of pillars. The Group of a Thousand Columns fronts the Temple of the Warriors, and its square and round pillars once held up a roof.

Midday - The Great Ballcourt

Harsh sun hits the high parallel walls, and the carved serpents stand out in the light. I follow the length of the ballcourt and study the low reliefs. This is the largest Mesoamerican ballcourt ever found, and the carvings show ritual sacrifice and players in ceremonial dress.

Midday - Steps above the ruins

The limestone steps are hot under my shoes, and the site spreads out below in hard light. I stop part-way up and look across the ruins. El Castillo, the Pyramid of Kukulcán, is a limestone temple to the Feathered Serpent, and at the equinoxes its shadow forms a serpent that draws crowds.

Midday - Jungle around the monuments

Heat presses on my face, and the green jungle closes around the stone monuments. I keep to the shade and listen to the leaves. April and May are the hottest months here, while December to February brings cooler nights and the least rain.

Golden Hour - Plaza by El Caracol

A low warm sun throws long shadows over the open plaza as I near El Caracol. I look up at the round tower on its platform. Ancient astronomers used the windows here to follow the planets and to set the farming calendar.

Golden Hour - Cenote of Sacrifice

The last gold light comes through the trees, and the water below is dark and still. I lean at the edge of the Cenote of Sacrifice and watch it. Ancient priests threw jade, gold and wooden objects into this sinkhole, reached by a sacred path from the ceremonial core.

Golden Hour - Shaded courtyard bench

The pork smells of spice and orange, and the banana leaf is warm in my hands. I sit on a stone bench and eat cochinita pibil in the shaded courtyard. This dish is slow-roasted pork in achiote and bitter orange, wrapped in banana leaves and baked in a pit.

Night - Path from El Caracol

Deep indigo fills the sky, and warm lamps light the stone path through the dark trees. I follow the paving away from El Caracol as the ruins begin to glow. Inside the round observatory a spiral stair gave the building its local name.

Night - El Caracol at night

Golden light falls on the stone, and the sky above the plaza is full of stars. I turn and look back at El Caracol. Women in the Yucatán often wear a huipil, a loose white cotton tunic with embroidered flowers, over a long underskirt called a fustán.