Eventually we arrived at the municipality of Tinúm and the entrance to Chichén Itzá.  Traffic into the parking lot of the parque archaeológico was slow, so Pepé jumped out and ran ahead to secure a parking spot.  After disembarking from the van, we received our tickets and entered the turnstiles.  It was warm but not hot.  The sun was shining, but from time to time the clouds would obscure it and cast shadows. 

We entered an enormous grassy area between the Pyramid Kukulkán and the Great Ball Court.  Vendors flanked the shady paths, occasionally attracting our attention with low, jaguar-like growls or musical notes through ceramic whistles. During our drive, Pepé had related some of the history of Chichén Itzá, especially the account of John Lloyd Stephens in Incidents of Travel in the Yucatán (1842).  Chichén Itzá had flourished from the 7^th to the 13^th century, when it was conquered by the ruler of Mayapan. 

The Spanish took it in 1534, were pushed out, and returned with a larger force including Mayan recruits.  Thousands of Mayan codices, the primary written records of Maya civilization, were burned in 1562 by Bishop Diego de Landa, who ironically went on to write a book about Mayan language, culture, and writing.  By 1588 Chichén Itzá was a cattle ranch. In front of the Pyramid of Kukulkán, Pepé explained its orientation.  In the late afternoon of the spring and autumn equinoxes, the northwest corner of the pyramid casts a series of triangular shadows against the balustrade on the north side.  They appear like the feathered serpent deity, Kukulkán, wriggling down the staircase. 

Pepé said that the pyramid celebrated Mayan knowledge of astronomy, agriculture, and architecture.  It manifested the power of the Mayan civilization and the “three sisters” – beans, corn, and squash – that were the staples of the Mayan diet. We also visited the stadium or Great Ball Court.  It is a 550 footlong rectangle with walls that are 26 feet high.  Beneath each wall and running the length of the field are raised platforms.  In the middle of the court, on both sides, are carved rings through which Mayan teams would toss a ball.  The rings were fully 26 feet above the level of the playing field.  Pepé said that, if a team scored, play would end. 

Below the platforms are sculpted panels.  One of them shows a decapitated player.  According to Pepé, this was the captain of the winning team.  It was an honor, he said, to be sacrificed to the deity.  That certainly challenged our ordinary materialist account of death, according to which death signifies the end of life – not the beginning.  Lilah paid close attention.          From the Pyramid of Kukulkán, we traveled to the Cenote Saamal.