Date post: | 22-Jan-2018 |
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CHICHÉN ITZÁ 600-900 AD
Late Classic
CHICHÉN ITZÁ, YUCATÁN, MEXICO
• “at the mouth of the well of the Itza
people”
• Mythically Chichén was introduced to
kingship, sacred landscapes,
ceremonies and culture by
Quetzalcoatl or known as Kukulcan to
the Maya.
• Chichén was one of the largest Maya
sites and is the biggest archeological
attraction in Mexico with over 1.5
million visitors each year.
• Chichén like other Maya sites may
have ruled by a single ruler (though it
is unsure)
• Chichén is a fusion of Maya culture
and central Mexico culture.
EL CASTILLO(THE CASTLE)
• Previously known as the Pyramid of
Quetzalcoatl or the Palace of
Kukulcan.
• Building of 9 levels** with staircases
flowing down all four sides of the
building. 91 steps on each side of the
pyramid. 91 x4= 364 +1 serpent
head=365 days of the year!
• The building recognizes the solar
year/calendar!
• At the base of the stairwell is a carved
stone monument of a feathered
serpent.
• The Temple located on top of the
pyramid was used for ceremonial
purposes and contained sacred idols.
An equinox is an astronomical event in which the plane of Earth's equator passes through the center of the Sun, causing day and night to be of approximately equal duration all over the planet.An equinox occurs twice each year, around 20 March and 23 September
• The Castillo was oriented to acknowledge movements of the heavens, and on the equinoxes the nine levels of the pyramid cast a shadow that reveals a serpent along the northern staircase.
• The same effect can be seen on the Spring and Autumn equinoxes
INSIDE EL CASTILLO
Mesoamerican cultures periodically
superimposed larger structures over
older ones, and El Castillo is one such
example.
In the mid-1930s, they discovered a
staircase under the north side of the
pyramid.
By digging from the top, they found
another temple buried below the current
one.
Inside the temple chamber was a
Chacmool statue and a throne in the
shape of Jaguar, painted red and with
spots made of inlaid jade.
The chacmool is evidence of Tula
influence and human sacrifice. ****
The Caracol (Conch Shell): Tiny windows at the top were oriented for astronomical observations. May resemble the section of a conch shell. The unusual plan and placement of openings allow observation of the movements of Venus, which was of great importance to all Mesoamerican people. Venus indicated the time of year to plant
crops for harvest.
Great Ballcourt: Largest of all ballcourts in ancient Mesoamerica. Its playing area extends over a length of 479 feet and its width of 118 ft, several times the size of the average ballcourt. Vertical walls rise above a sloping tablero that by itself is higher than most other ballcourts.Rings, carved with entwined rattlesnakes, set into these side walls hoops through which
the solid rubber ball passed are placed 26ft above the playing surface!
Detail from panel at Chichén Itzá ballcourt depicting the decapitation of a ballgame player. In one panel, one of the players has been decapitated; the wound emits streams of blood in the form of wriggling snakes.
TZOMPANTLI
The Tzompantli structure at Chichén
Itzá is a Toltec structure, where the
heads of sacrificial victims were
placed.
The platform walls of the Tzompantli
have carved reliefs of four different
subjects.
The primary subject is the skull rack
itself; others show a scene with a
human sacrifice; eagles eating human
hearts; and skeletonized warriors
with shields and arrows.
TEMPLE OF THE WARRIORS
• The temple undoubtedly bears a
striking resemblance to Pyramid B at
Tula.
• A field of square pills which would
have supported a perishable roof.
• Each pillar is carved on four side;
some reliefs feature standing warriors
with Toltec ‘pillbox’ headdress and
weaponry, others show skirted
figures, probably women, bearing
offerings.
• This building may have been a seat of
government, its function largely
bureaucratic.
• In the first chamber, a chacmool was set to receive offerings
• The doorway of the temple is flanked by great feathered-serpent columns, whose plumed rattles once supported the door lintel.
In the rear chamber a great platform raised up by miniature atlanteansonce served as the ruler’s throne.
TULA &CHICHÉN ITZÁ
•Ball Court
•Atlantes (Warrior columns)
•Chacmool
•Pyramid B
•Tzompantli
•Feathered serpent (Quetzalcoatl)
•Supposed ancestors of the Aztecs
•Central Mexico
•Economy based on trade routes (Southwest)
•Military based society
•Ball Court
•Atlantes
•Chacmool
•Temple of the Warriors
•Tzompantli
•Feathered Serpent! (Kukulkan)
•Maya
•Religious and cultural center
•Big time astronomers
•Highly accurate calendar
•Invention of zero