I’m trying to figure out how this is one of the “New 7 Wonders” of the World. The original “seven wonders”, as passed down by ancient historians in Alexandria, was thought to be:
- Great Pyramid of Giza
- Hanging Gardens of Babylon
- Statue of Zeus at Olympia
- Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
- Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
- Colossus of Rhodes
- Lighthouse of Alexandria
Since only the Great Pyramid of Giza still remains standing, numerous new lists have been contemplated to include existing structures. One publicly recognized list is the New7Wonders with questionable methodology used to determine the winners. It was an online poll ran by a non-profit arm of a for-profit corporation but those with a stake in each nominee could throw advertising money to reach voters. The winners (thanks, Wikipedia):
| Wonder | Date of construction | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Great Wall of China | Since 7th century BC[19] | China |
| Petra | c. 100 BC | Jordan |
| Christ the Redeemer | Opened October 12, 1931 | Brazil |
| Machu Picchu | c. AD 1450 | Peru |
| Chichen Itza | c. AD 600 | Mexico |
| Colosseum | Completed AD 80 | Italy |
| Taj Mahal | Completed c. AD 1648 | India |
| Great Pyramid of Giza (Honorary Candidate) | Completed c. 2560 BC | Egypt |
Though I’ve only seen four in person, three of them have been seriously awe-inspiring. When standing on the Great Wall of China or on top of Huayna Picchu looking down at Machu Picchu, you can’t help but feel small and think “wow, it’s enormous, how did they get all these boulders up here?” And even though Rome doesn’t have the hilly terrain hurdle, the construction and architecture of it is so grand and unique. At the risk of sounding like a spoiled ignorant brat, my reaction after walking around Chichen Itza was, “that’s it??”
Maybe my expectations were too high and I was disappointed (ahem, Venice), maybe I was just miserably hot and drowning in my own sweat, maybe I was stressed about my wedding that was approaching in two days. Whatever the reason, I was not impressed. I really thought it was going to be much bigger and even though I know they stopped letting people climb to the top of Kukulcan years ago, that would have made it much more exciting.
With that said, I’m really glad I went. Obviously, I have no desire to go back but when it comes to travel, I don’t ever regret what I did, only what I didn’t do. I learned that Chichen Itza is actually an entire city, and not just the pyramid of Kukulcan. Although not much of the other structures remain, there are some cool sites, like the pillars of the Temple of Warriors:
So despite the 2 hr and 20 minute drive to get there from the Royal Suites Palladium Riviera Maya, it was worth it, and not just for the obligatory Instagram pic. If coming from Tulum or Playa del Carmen, you can shave 20 minutes off; from Cancun, 10 minutes. Make more out of the trip by stopping at Cenote Ik Kil nearby. We didn’t get to go since we went to eat at Mayaland instead and had to rush back to meet with the DJ but people in our group who did go said it was fun.
Getting Here
A lot of tour companies have day tours that bring you on buses which includes the Cenote Ik Kil stop. But that’s very touristy, you’re on their time, and you stand in the main line to get your tickets which can take 30 minutes. A better and less expensive way is to have your hotel schedule a driver for the day. The bus style day tour is typically around $70-$150 per person, whereas with favorable exchange rates these days (20 MXN to 1 USD), you can have the hotel hire a driver for about $200 for the day (it’s more expensive if going through an actual tour company to hire a private driver). It’s a much better value, especially if you have more than 2 people in your group. To avoid the line, you can pre-purchase tickets to enter through the Mayaland side. It is more expensive, however. The standard entrance is 232 MXN (about $12 in March 2017 exchange rates) whereas the Mayaland entrance is $30 which does include a fun buffet lunch (drinks extra) at the Mayaland resort restaurant. If you’ve rented a car, driving yourself, and just want the standard entrance, avoid stopping at the “official Chichen Itza ticket office” about 50 miles from the ruins. That is for the Mayaland entrance. Just keep driving and follow the signs until you reach the main parking lot of Chichen Itza, go up the steps where all the vendors are, and wait in line to buy the standard ticket and get your obligatory Instagram pic:
