"hometown" pictures

[Maria]

Getting my breath back at the top of the pyramid. This was last Thursday when I took a friend of mine there.

 

[Camelot]

Hi Maria...Thanks for posting the photos of the Mayan ruins...I have always been an archaeology buff, and enjoy learning about ancient civilizations.

 

[Maria]

Coming down! LOL :animwink:

 

[DMC-12]

wow Great pics Maria... now I really wanna see the Mayan Ruins in person

 

[Maria]

You are very welcome Camelot! I enjoy touring people around... even online! :animwink:

This corner is part of another building called "The Church" and what you see is part of a mask that represents Chaac, the god of the rain. That hook is his nose and on the sides of it are eyes and mouth. Can you see them?

 

[MicBat]

Great pics, Maria!! :sohappy: We watched a video about those ruins in Spanish!

 

[Maria]

More masks of Chaac.

 

[Maria]

The skulls platform. Maybe the skulls of their enemies? Or maybe the skulls of those who fought? *shrugs*

 

[Maria]

At the bottom of the pyramid, next to one of those huge snake heads. When the equinox happens, seven triangles of shadow form on this side of the pyramid, that with the head, form a long snake from top to bottom of it.

 

[FantasiaBish]

WOW those are great pics!!! almost as beautiful as she who posted them :animwink:

 

[Maria]

Last one of Chichen Itza for now... This is the "Cenote" or "well". It is believed that they used it to sacrifice young virgins in honor to their gods. However, only bones of kids and animals have been found when digging it, which makes the archaelogists think that they fell while playing around it. It´s very deep, but the water level was higher as you can see in the stone marks. Yucatan is full of cenotes with underground currents and very deep waters.

 

[Camelot]

Maria, in the last photo, I notice a rope across the well...any ideas what that is there for?

 

[Maria]

Originally posted by Camelot
Maria, in the last photo, I notice a rope across the well...any ideas what that is there for?

There are no fences to put on the rock or anything... and it is also "tour at your own risk" and hoping people use their common sense, so the rope is only to mark a limit... besides that point, the rock gets slippery. This is how high that rope is. :animwink:

 

[DisneyCP2000]

Very cool Maria. My dad, sister, sister's bf and grandma went there a couple of years ago. And I must say your pictures are 10 times better than thiers!!! The went to Cozumel to get certified for scuba diving (except grandma, of course) and visited Chichen Itza when they were done. They chose to go on one of the equinoxes, when the snake forms on the side of the pyramid. From their pictures the place was PACKED. The majority of the buildings were closed due to the crowds. From all the pictures i've seen, I hope to visit one of these days.

On a side note...
*What happend to the winners of the 'basketball' game?
*"The road to eldorado" movie with Kevin Kline was based off of Chichen Itza.

 

[Maria]

Originally posted by DisneyCP2000
On a side note...
*What happend to the winners of the 'basketball' game?

Yeah, it gets packed on equinox days! I´ve never been there on those days, but as a tip, the phenomenon is also seen the previous days and the days after... :animwink:

The "winners" had their heads chopped! hehe... Well.. I´m not really sure, there is still controversy as to who got the head chopped, the winners or the losers... they were 7 players on each side and the representation of the game is carved on the stones in those walls with the rings. :animwink:

 

[DisneyCP2000]

Originally posted by Maria
Yeah, it gets packed on equinox days! I´ve never been there on those days, but as a tip, the phenomenon is also seen the previous days and the days after... :animwink:

I'll have to let them know. They'll be slapping thier heads when they hear about it. :lol:

Originally posted by Maria
The "winners" had their heads chopped! hehe... Well.. I´m not really sure, there is still controversy as to who got the head chopped, the winners or the losers... they were 7 players on each side and the representation of the game is carved on the stones in those walls with the rings. :animwink:

And I thought they were joking!

 

[Main Street USA]

Those are great pictures. I immediately thought of the "tour at your own risk" thing as soon as I saw the pic of the pyramid with everyone walking up and down the stairs. These days, in the US, there wouldn't be anywhere to experience something like that, for fear of lawsuits. A real shame. The closest I've come to the tour at your own risk is in Yellowstone National Park, where they basically have to have that mentality to preserve the area.

Thanks again. Those pics make me feel like I'm there.

 

[FutureCEO]

here's a pond during the fall-you can swim, boat and do ther things in it

 

[FutureCEO]

some historical sites---were a mill town, the 2nd oldest mill in the US (not pictured) and Gen. Nathanial Greens homestead

 

[FutureCEO]

bikers and walkers riding on the East Coast bike path