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Day 4 was a day trip to Chichen Itza, that was supposed to feature a Mayan cooking class. As we approach on the bus, we get a view of the Mayan observatory.
We were a few minutes late, so we caught up with the cooking class, that was just starting out with the sacred blessing of the cooks.
Kimberly in her toque.
Blessing the cooks.
The spicy sauce was already mixed up, so all we did was assemble the chicken, vegetables, and sauce in the banana leaves.
Prior to wrapping.
The barbecue pits are ready to go.
We put the assembled packets into a pan on the coals...
...covered with some leaves for flavor...
...covered with a tin...
...and sealed around the edges with dirt to make the steamer.
While our chicken is cooking, we go to the (new) planetarium, where we see a dome film of Mayan history, which was really quite good.
Then on to the ruins.
These are more like the palapas that people still live in. On the way out of town, we actually saw families still living in these.
We want Hans to figure out what these are, and put some in the back yard for color.
Again, we start from the back side of the ruin, that is only about 70% complete.
The front side shows the detail in the construction. As before, 91 steps per side, plus 1 for the top to make 365. The rectangles on the side count to 52 for the weeks; they were already using a 7-day week.
A shot from the main square toward the market area.
This is the VIP seating area for the ball court.
Around the corner, you can see the VIP seating. Note the ring for scoring. One member of the team is allowed on the raised area on each side, but the rest of the team is down on the lower area.
The ever-present snakes.
Close-up of the ring. Similar to soccer, the ball had to be put through using only legs, hips, and occasionally head. However, the ball was solid rubber, so a lot more difficult to use the head.
Back side showing access to climb the stairs for watching.
The guide is using his water bottle to point to the story of how the winning team's captain has the honor of being beheaded.
This area was for the referees.
Kimberly kissing the snake god.
We had these people pose to give you the scale. When the holy man addresses the crowd from this vantage point, the acoustics of the limestone and the platform across from it allow for everyone to hear.
This is the platform across, where the dancers were.
Back toward the market. The square pillars were from the Toltec takeover, and have representations of warriors. The round ones (to the right) are from the Mayans.
A new discovery that is being excavated. As with many European cities, there is the current city that was built on top of the previous city, that was built on top of its previous city.
It was hot and humid; can you tell?
The observatory from closer up. They did not have glass or lens technology, so they used sticks to mark the positions of the stars and planets.