A Chichén Itzá tour was a must for us while traveling in Mexico. Here are all the highlights everyone visiting Chichén Itzá should see.
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We had seen so many amazing photos and read so much about Chichén Itzá, that while we were visiting the Yucatán Peninsula, we just had to go there.
Back in AD 600-900, Chichén Itzá was a major Mayan city. Today, it is one of the most famous archeological sites in Mexico, and some 2.5 million people visit there every year.
We took a tour to Chichén Itzá from Playa del Carmen where we stayed for a week. It is about 2.5 hours to drive. Chichén Itzá is also a popular place to visit for those who are staying in Cancún or Tulum.
The closest larger town to Chichén Itzá is called Valladolid.
Valladolid
Many people visiting Chichén Itzá use Valladolid as their base. But even if you are not staying there, it will make a great little stop on your trip.
Valladolid is a beautiful town with its colonial and Moorish-style architecture. You can still feel and experience some real Mexican life there. The town was established in 1543 and a little over 50 000 people live there today.
If your schedule is flexible, I definitely recommend spending few days in Valladolid. They have a great downtown area with a beautiful cathedral and San Bernadino de Siena Monastery is also open for visitors.
From Valladolid you can also visit several cenotes which are local swimming holes. We for example went to Cenote Oxman which was great.
A drive to Chichén Itzá is only about 28 miles (44 km).
CHICHÉN ITZÁ
All these amazing structures at Chichén Itzá were built by the Maya civilization. You can find several different building styles in this area, because after the Mayans abandoned Chichén Itzá, the Toltec population occupied it.
Hundreds of Maya sites have been found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. Among them, Chichén Itzá is one of the most notable ones.
Today, Chichén Itzá is not only a UNESCO World Heritage Site but was also chosen to be one the New Seven Wonders of the World. Out of those seven we have also been at Petra in Jordan and Giza Pyramids in Egypt.
In 2006, an American lady who was 80 years old was climbing up to the Pyramid of Kukulcan. On her 91st step she slipped and fell down, and unfortunately she later died of her injuries.
After that visitors have no longer been able to climb up on the temples at Chichén Itzá. Not only is it a safety issue, but this decision also preserves these historical structures.
Things that everyone should see at CHICHÉN ITZÁ
El Castillo
El Castillo is the most famous of Chichén Itzá’s buildings, and also goes by the name Pyramid of Kukulcan. It is 98 feet (30 meters) tall all the way to the top, and each side has staircases going up.
The building itself actually forms a Mayan calendar. During the spring and fall equinoxes the afternoon sun casts a shadows on the building which creates the illusion of a serpent or snake. It is the most popular time to visit Chichén Itzá.
While visiting El Castillo you will probably see people in front of the pyramid clapping their hands. When clapping you can hear an echo from the building that sounds like the Quetzal bird singing. It is said to be a sacred Mayan bird replying to you.
Juego de Pelota
A Mayan ball game was part of the mesoamerican culture. It was kind of a ceremonial ritual even though we might see it as a sport. There are several ball courts at Chichén Itzá of which Juego de Pelota is the biggest one.
During the years the game changed a little but the aim was always to get the ball through the ring up on the wall.
El Templo de los Guerreros
The Temple of the Warriors (El Templo de los Guerreros) is one the largest structures at Chichén Itzá. In front of the pyramid structure there are rows of carved columns that represent warriors. You can also find some eagles and jaguars decorating the reliefs.
Tzompantli
Tzompantli, the Platform of the Skulls was used for the public display of human skulls. They would usually either be from people captured in wars or just sacrificed.
Some of the reliefs at Chichén Itzá seems to indicate that people who lost the game at the ball court would end up beheaded. Their skulls would most likely had been placed at Tzompantli.
Cenote Sagrado
There is also a cenote in the area. Cenote Sagrado, or the Sacred Cenote is a natural sinkhole about 49 feet (15 meters) deep that is filled with water.
Mayans made offerings to the water god by throwing valuables and sacrificing human bodies into this cenote. Things like weapons, tools and jewelry have been discovered from the bottom. Many of them made out of either wood or jade.
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There are many more structures at Chichén Itzá, but these are the ones you should see for sure. Allow yourself plenty of time to walk around the whole area and see everything. There is also a small museum and a cafeteria in the building from which you purchase the tickets.
Along the trails leading to the temples there were many people selling souvenirs. The same exact products we saw at Playa del Carmen with almost half of the price over there. If you end up buying something, don’t forget to bargain.
GOING TO Chichén Itzá
Unfortunately, we didn’t get to spend as much time at Chichén Itzá as we wanted to. The time there was shorter than was explained to us when we booked our tour. Also, it was not the first stop on our tour, like it was suppose to be.
Before Chichén Itzá we visited two cenotes and had lunch. At both places we barely had time to dip into the water because we had to hurry on to the next place. It was so disappointing and honestly, very difficult to do with kids. Just getting them ready for swimming takes time.
We quickly noticed that there was an effort to get guests to buy things, such as souvenirs, tequila and other things. So much so, that the promised visit to the town of Valladolid was actually just a visit to a tequila shop. Again, not how the tour was sold to us.
It brought back memories from my trip to Egypt where exactly the same thing happened. A tour to the pyramids was more like a tour of the local perfume shops and a papyrus factory.
Our mistake was that we didn’t do enough research about the specific tour we booked, and we trusted the vague trip description the local seller gave us. We should have asked more specific questions about the itinerary and asked if the schedule was on paper somewhere.
I recommend booking a tour online where you have everything clearly written, and you can read the reviews to see if it is truly the tour for you. It is also good to know, that if you book from the locals, there is usually some room to haggle the price.
If you choose a tour and can afford a private guide/driver, you will for sure get the most out of this trip. You can find all kinds of tours and guides below:
If possible, I recommend going to Chichén Itzá on your own schedule by either renting a car, or using the ADO Bus or Collectivo. Especially if you are staying in Valladolid.
We usually get a rental car from here. They have a free cancellation!
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE VISITING
There are multiple reasons why you should go to visit Chichén Itzá early in the morning. First, it gets very crowded as it is one of the most popular sites to see in Mexico. There as so many tour buses coming in all the time, that the lines to get in will get long.
In case you are driving your own car, it will be more difficult find parking later in the day. Also, the later you get there, the hotter it will be. And trust me, even in the colder season, it will be hot! Many tour operators will have tours that arrive to Chichén Itzá in the morning.
In case you have wondered how to get photos of Chichén Itzá with no people — there is a trick. You should consider staying in one of the hotels inside the Chichén Itzá area. As a guest of these hotels you will get in an hour earlier than it is normally open to the public.
Hacienda Chichen Resort and Yaxkin Spa has a private entrance to Chichén Itzá!
Avoid visiting Chichén Itzá on Sundays. On Sundays mexicans are able to visit all the museums for free, including Chichén Itzá, and it will be crowded. The best days to visit are during the week.
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Even though our tour was not what we expected, we were still happy that we were able to see Chichén Itzá. If we are able to return someday, we will definitely make sure that we get to spend more time there.
There are many amazing Mayan ruins in Mexico to see. We stayed in Playa del Carmen for our vacation and even Playa del Carmen had smaller and little less known ruins one can visit.
However, Chichén Itzá definitely tops them all. It is such an amazing place and full of history!
What a fantastic monument. I am not surprised that climbing the structure is not permitted. Not just for its preservation, but it’s a glaring health and safety issue. There are bound to be incidents given the numbers that would attempt to climb.
I agree with that. I actually prefer it this way. Not only that there will not be further more damage but I also wouldn’t want hundreds of people on the pyramid while I’m taking photos.
I wanted to go to Chichen Itza when we visited Cozumel on a cruise, but I was afraid we’d be too pressed for time. Instead we went to Tulum, which is worth visiting, but isn’t anywhere near as grand in scale as Chichen Itza. The history of the Mayans…and their culture is very interesting. I’m also glad you can’t climb on the structures any more. Not sure why they ever allowed that!
Yes, just getting there can take time since the there can be a lot of traffic along the way. And the area is huge so you would have probably felt rushed. I wish we had time to visit Tulum but maybe next time.
I loved visiting here, thanks for reminding me how incredible it was. We toured on a exceptionally hot day, and that kept the crowds to a minimum as everyone was enjoying the view from the canopy of the trees. Such a fascinating place to visit.
It is truly a fascinating place! But I’m sorry to hear it was hot. It was pretty hot when we were there too and it was still winter.
Ok. Why did a 91 y.o. woman climb the pyramid? I’m glad it is not allowed now because the more tourists climb it, the fastest it gets damage here and there. Besides accidents, of course. I would agree with you to visit early in the morning to beat the crowds and the heat.
She was 80, not 91. Still pretty old to be doing a demanding climb up. I am happy too that they wont let people do that anymore. Not only does it damage the site but I wouldn’t want all those people in my photos.
Great pictures of Chichen Itza. I visited the site several years ago and loved it. We stayed in a hostal in walking distance and spent several hours in Chichen Itza. It was great.
If we go back someday that is what we will do also. Being able to stay so close would be wonderful.