El Caracol and Old Chichen

This entry is part 10 of 10 in the series Yucatán, Mexico 2006

To the south of the great plaza with the temple of Kukulcan in Chichen Itza stretches an area of smaller buildings and pyramids.
I was in particular impressed by the so called nunnery group of buildings, with ornaments carved into virtually every stone wall. Another prominent temple is “El Caracol”, the observatory. Its large platform with a round building on top can be seen from afar.

Even further south-west one finds “Old Chichen”, a group of buildings which is sealed off from visitors. We had a chance to visit this place with a warden, and could enjoy the silence far away from the main stream of tourists.

<< Previous Article |
<< The Mayan City of Chichen Itza