Temple of Kukulkan / El Castillo in Chichen Itza
par Jan Vrsinsky
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Photo panoramique par
Jan Vrsinsky
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Temple of Kukulkan / El Castillo in Chichen ItzaThe World > North America > Mexico |
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Dominating the center of Chichén is the Temple of Kukulkan (the Maya name for Quetzalcoatl), often referred to as "El Castillo" (the castle). This step pyramid has a ground plan of square terraces with stairways up each of the four sides to the temple on top. On the Spring and Autumn equinox, at the rising and setting of the sun, the corner of the structure casts a shadow in the shape of a plumed serpent - Kukulcan, or Quetzalcoatl - along the west side of the north staircase. On these two annual occasions, the shadows from the corner tiers slither down the northern side of the pyramid with the sun's movement to the serpent's head at the base.
Mesoamerican cultures periodically built larger pyramids atop older ones, and this is one such example. In the mid 1930s, the Mexican government sponsored an excavation of El Castillo. After several false starts, 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 Chac Mool statue and a throne in the shape of Jaguar, painted red and with spots made of inlaid jade.
The Mexican government excavated a tunnel from the base of the north staircase, up the earlier pyramid’s stairway to the hidden temple, and opened it to tourists. In 2006, INAH closed the throne room to the public.
(from Wikipedia)
View of the maya site of Chichen Itzá, Yucatán, México Pyramid of Kukulcán, depicting on its sides th...
A general view of the maya ruins in chichen itzá, between the Kukulcan pyramid and the temple of the ...
The one thousand warriors temple in Chichen Itzá is so called because each of the many columns depict...
Carvings on the platform display jaguars and eagles gruesomely grabbing human hearts in their claws.
View of the mayan - Temple of a Thousand Warriors, Kukulcan Pyramid in Mexico
The Temple of the Warriors consists of a large stepped pyramid fronted and flanked by rows of carved ...
North America includes Mexico, the United States, Canada, and Gotham City.
The region temporarily existed as a Protectorate of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Norton I, with its capital being the city of San Francisco. Sadly, this term of benevolent ebullience lasted a brief two decades and ended c. 1880.
The United States is now the dominant country of North America. It arose as a nation only 225 years ago after a successful rebellion against the British government under King George III.
From a distance, it appears that the eastern coastlines of North and South America fit exactly into the west coast of Africa. In fact, about 250 million years ago these continents really were all connected in one land mass that we have named Pangaea.
With such a foundation in tectonic unity, there is no doubt that someday soon the people on every continent of earth will realize their fundamental similarities. Expect massive leaps in creative output in your area!
Text by Steve Smith.
