Mary Reid

When I was in Mexico last week I visited Chichen Itza. I have to admit that the name didn't mean much to me, but when I got there I realised that I had seen many, many images of it in the past.

Why had the name been so unfamiliar? Perhaps it is just the sinister magic of the place.

Chichen Itza is the site of the greatest Mayan remains anywhere. The ruins are spread over a vast area and much is still being excavated.

This is the  Pyramid of Kulkanan (Quetzalcoatl). The four sides, each with their 91 steps, represent the four seasons and the pyramid is orientated to the solstices and equinoxes.

Bizarrely, there is another pyramid temple inside. The lunar and solar calendar cycles meet after 52 years and at that point it was thought necessary to renew and rebuild.

The Temple of the Warriors has rows of pillars that stretch far into the forest on either side. At the top of the steps is one of the most disturbing remains - a Chac-Mool, which is a statue of a reclining man. You can just see it, but I have nicked the photo below from Wikipedia as I couldn't get close enough.

It isn't just a powerful, Henry Moore-ish sculpture. Human sacrifice was practised at Chichen Itza by the Toltecs who took control from the Mayans, and the heart of the victim was placed on the tray resting on the Chac-Mool's stomach - or so we were told.

Which brings me to the Ball Court. A thousand years ago they played an highly organised team ball game in this huge court (over 500 x 200 feet). Along each of the side walls in a platform where the captain of each team ran.

The team players would try to pass the ball up to the captain who then lobbed it through a very high hoop. (You can just see one of the hoops above the man in the bright blue shirt). The first team to score won the game.

But - wait for it - the game was played at each equinox. And immediately afterwards the captain of one of the teams would be sacrificed. The WINNING captain. It was a great honour apparently .... but no wonder some games took three days.

The ball players were all men, of course. So to equal things out a virgin was sacrificed at each of the two solstices.

On 07.07.07 Chichen Itza was announced as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.