Mystery Wonders
El Castillo, Chichen Itza

Home | Last Added

According to legend, twice a year when the day and night are in balance, this pyramid dedicated to Kukulcan (or Quetzalcoatl), the feathered serpent god, is visited by its namesake. On the equinox Kukulcan returns to earth to commune with his worshipers, provide blessing for a full harvest and good health before entering the sacred water, bathing in it, and continuing through it on his way to the underworld. A handclap near the base of the pyramid results in an unusual chirping echo, which is said to replicate the call of the sacred quetzal bird. All legends aside, crafty and mathematically brilliant architecture combined with the natural rotation of the earth creates an amazing and somewhat eerie image of a giant snake crawling down the temple. For five hours an illusion of light and shadow creates seven triangles on the side of the staircase starting at the top and inching its way down until it connects the top platform with the giant stone head of the feathered serpent at the bottom. For forty-five minutes this impressive shadow stays in its entirety before slowing descending the pyramid and disappearing along with the crowd that gathered to see it. The Pyramid of Kukulcan (also know as El Castillo, a name given by the Spanish Conquistadors) is the central pyramid of Chich’en Itza, it was built over a pre-existing temple between 800 and 900 AD. It is the biggest pyramid in Chich’en Itza; at its base 53.3 meters wide on all four sides. It towers above the other monuments at 24 meters tall with a 6 meter temple on top of the highest platform. Before access to the throne room of the pyramid was restricted, you could climb to the top and, on a clear day, see the top of the grand pyramid at the nearby ruin site of Ek Balam. The Mesoamerican fascination with, and knowledge of, math and astronomy shines when examining the details of its architecture. Each of the four sides has ninety-one steps ascending it, 364 steps total, with the temple topping the pyramid considered an addition step totaling 365, each step representing a day in the calendar. Additionally, the pyramid's nine stages, bisected by a staircase on each side, represent the eighteen months of the Mayan Calendar year. The pyramid was built to be a physical representation of the Mayan Calendar (the same calendar that predicts the end of the world in 2012), while its orientation, slightly North East, is believed to have been calculated in order to create the phenomenon know as the “Descent of Kukulcan”. This phenomena is recreated nightly (artificially) during the Light and Sounds Show at 7pm in the winter and 8pm in the summer. Chich'en Itza is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


Story continues below !
















El Castillo, also known as the Temple of Kukulcan, is a Mesoamerican step-pyramid that dominates the center of the Chichen Itza archaeological site in the Mexican state of Yucatán. The building is more formally designated by archaeologists as Chichen Itza Structure 5B18. Built by the pre-Columbian Maya civilization sometime between the 9th and 12th centuries CE, El Castillo served as a temple to the god Kukulkan, the Yucatec Maya Feathered Serpent deity closely related to the god Quetzalcoatl known to the Aztecs and other central Mexican cultures of the Postclassic period. The pyramid consists of a series of square terraces with stairways up each of the four sides to the temple on top. Sculptures of plumed serpents run down the sides of the northern balustrade. During the spring and autumn equinoxes, the late afternoon sun strikes off the northwest corner of the pyramid and casts a series of triangular shadows against the northwest balustrade, creating the illusion of a feathered serpent "crawling" down the pyramid. The event has been very popular, but it is questionable whether it is a result of a purposeful design. Each of the pyramid's four sides has 91 steps which, when added together and including the temple platform on top as the final "step", produces a total of 365 steps (which is equal to the number of days of the Haab' year). The structure is 24 m (78 ft) high, plus an additional 6 m (19 ft) for the temple. The square base measures 55.3 m (180 ft) across.




you might be interested


K2 Pakistan

Great Pyramid of Giza

Natural Zhangjiaje

Aurora

Victoria Falls

Memnon Colossi

3,800 year old mummy Xiahoe

Nasca Lines

Iron Pillar Delhi

Sigiriya Sri Lanka

Antarctica

Santorini

Stonehenge Stones

Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Lighthouse of Alexandria

Wonder Rock

Vimana Flying Machine

GREAT SPHINX OF GIZA

The Matterhorn

Kukulkan Pyramid Chichen Itza

200 yo mummy not dead

Ancient Atomic Bomb India

Parícutin Vulcan

Shroud of Turin

Angkor Wat

Area 51

Ayers Rock

Leaning Tower of Pisa

Pamukkale

Pillars of weathering

Arizona Wave

Crystal Underwater Pyramid Cuba

Ark of the Covenant

Easter Island Secrets

Valley of the Kings

Grand Canyon

Underwater Cancun

Colossus of Rhodes

Underwater Museum Cancún Mexico

Machu Picchu

El Chupacabra

Reed Flute Cave

Angel Falls

Yellowstone Park

KAMPUNG KUANTAN FIREFLIES

Stone Forest

Zhangye Danxia

The Sahara Desert

Mount Nemrut

Blue Neon Waves

Waterfalls Rio Tulija

Blue Belize Hole

Katmai Crater Lake

Statue of Zeus at Olympia

Twin Town

Valley of Love Ireland

Mount Rushmore

Lencois Mranhenses Brasil

Giant Stone Balls

Tutankhamun Mummy

Tunguska Explosion Russia

Bermuda Triangle

Leshan Giant Buddha China

Everglades Park

Borobudur Temple

Terracotta Army

Alien Skulls ?

Fly Geyser

Columnar Basalt

Largest Crab Ever

Colosseum Rome Italy

Kittiwake Shipwreck

Spontaneous combustion

Hitler fled to Argentina ?

The Ancient City of Mes Aynak

Red Rain

Lost Kingdom Of Cleopatra

Rio de Janeiro

Plitvice Lakes

The Great Wall of China

Acropolis of Athens

Taj Mahal

Banaue Rice Terraces

Door to Hell

Black Hole

Underwater Pyramids of Cuba

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

The Wonder Cave

Famous Petra

Sailing Stones

Pompeii After Eruption

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Two Headed Snake

Timbuktu

Bagan Myanmar

Lost Heracleion City



Giant Stone Balls
Blue Belize Hole
Sigiriya Sri Lanka
Pompeii After Eruption
Underwater Cancun
The Wonder Cave
Memnon Colossi
Machu Picchu
Tunguska Explosion Russia
Lencois Mranhenses Brasil
Angkor Wat
Twin Town
Rio de Janeiro
The Great Wall of China
Bermuda Triangle
Colossus of Rhodes
Grand Canyon
Aurora
Shroud of Turin
Antarctica
K2 Pakistan
Timbuktu
Banaue Rice Terraces
Crystal Underwater Pyramid Cuba
Mount Nemrut
Vimana Flying Machine
Great Pyramid of Giza
Natural Zhangjiaje
Sahara Desert
Statue of Zeus at Olympia
Yellowstone
Underwater Museum Cancún Mexico
Columnar Basalt
Leshan Giant Buddha China
Red Rain
Blue Neon Waves
Hanging Gardens of Babylon
Colosseum Rome Italy
Waterfalls Rio Tulija
Katmai Crater Lake
Kukulkan Pyramid Chichen Itza
Santorini
Area 51
Victoria Falls
Angel Falls
Largest Crab Ever
El Chupacabra
Black Hole
Parícutin
Wonder Rock
Fly Geyser
Pillars of weathering
Spontaneous combustion
Mount Rushmore
Arizona Wave
Borobudur Temple
Lost Heracleion City
Ancient Atomic Bomb India
Underwater Pyramids of Cuba
Reed Flute Cave
200 yo mummy not dead
Valley of the Kings
Stonehenge
Valley of Love Ireland
Hitler fled to Argentina
Terracotta Army
Paracas Skulls
Lost Kingdom Of Cleopatra
Two Headed Snake
Acropolis of Athens
Kittiwake Shipwreck
Everglades Park
Tutankhamun Mummy
Bagan Myanmar
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
Matterhorn Mountain
KAMPUNG KUANTAN FIREFLIES
Door to Hell
Sailing Stones
Stone Forest
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
Leaning Tower of Pisa
Lighthouse of Alexandria
Plitvice Lakes
Nasca Lines
The Ancient City of Mes Aynak
Easter Island Secrets
Famous Petra
Iron Pillar Delhi
Ayers Rock
Pamukkale
GREAT SPHINX OF GIZA
Zhangye Danxia
Ark of the Covenant
Taj Mahal
3,800 year old mummy Xiahoe










back to top


About Us | Privacy Policy