In 7 days it will be a year since we set foot in Mexico for the first time. - I swear I've never seen so many people. And we fulfilled 4 wonders! - Yay! - We did it, my love! The tour cost us 149 USD per person. - The sacrifice was the greatest, it was an honor. - Wow. It is forbidden to climb the archaeological sites. Hello good mornig for everyone. - Good morning, my beautiful people, how are you doing? We returned to Mexico! Today we are going to fulfill something that, curiously, in 7 days it will be one year since we set foot in Mexico for the first time. When we started our project around the world. With $1,000 saved. And not knowing what was going to happen in our life. The budget was 20 USD per day. We use an app to sleep. We met a lot of wonderful people. But, as you can see, there we had 20 USD to eat. Because the accommodation was in the house of the locals. And with this budget we did not rest to get to Chichen-Itzá. And a year later we are here again. And what are we going to do today, Mateo? - Let's go to Chichen-Itza. And also to the cenotes. We are also going to see a cenote. We couldn't go either. And to a Mayan ritual, I think. And also a buffet. Because we hired a tour that we will explain to you later how much it cost and everything. Because now we have to get to the point where they're going to look for us. We are now on a giant bus. All the people are going to Chichen-Itzá today. - And this is one of the many buses that were there. Yeah. - There were about 20 more. What one does have to prepare for is to see a lot of people. - From here, more or less, it will take 2 and a half hours. - Because it is there passing Valladolid. We now come to the entrance. There are lots of people. - The parking lot must have 20 thousand cars, more or less. Something very important also when visiting it is to wear a hat, sunscreen, our tour gave us water. But it is very hot here. Because it's close to the middle. - And according to the tour, now we are in winter. - Imagine when it's summer. In other words, there is nothing like winter here, it is heat or more heat. - Clear. - I swear I've never seen so many people. No. Because I think they don't have entry hours here. As, for example, in Machu Picchu - Of course. when you book you have to enter at that time. Here it is like that at any time you can enter. - But it's impressive... - There must be here, easy, about 10 thousand people. - It's crazy. - I knew this place was famous, but, wow... And something to keep in mind is that on Sundays, if you are Mexican or a resident of Mexico, you have free admission. Which is good for the residents. But, if you are a foreigner, perhaps it could be that on Sunday there are even more people. - Clear. I think it's a good thing to know. - There was a problem some time ago, not long ago, - that all these vendors couldn't sell more here, from Chichen-Itzá. - And they opened some stalls outside. - But they got so angry that they blocked the route - and they had to close Chichen-Itzá for three weeks. - So, later they negotiated - and got them to let them in again. - So now the vendors are back in here. - They advised us that many of the things they sell - some are good, but others, perhaps, are not real as they say. - So, I usually take that care when buying. There is. - AHA. - Fighting masks. - I love those masks. - What beautiful things they sell. - There are quite a few vendors too, huh. - Wow. That day they went with a group of 60 people. And when the road was closed, the police came to say "Chichen-Itzá is closed." And imagine how nervous the guide was... - Yes. - They had to come back and cancel the tour because there was nothing to do. There are so many cute things they sell. Only the guide told us that we are always with the group. So if you fall behind buying and then lose it it's impossible for you to find your group again. And then they're late, right? - At first I thought he said that so we can go fast. - Did you see that sometimes the tour guide wants you to follow everything...? Yes. - But actually, you're right. - Here it is very easy to get lost, there are many people. At the entrance I got nervous because they were all going together and I already got lost... - Look, my love, the Mayan calendar. What a cute thing. Wow... - Look. - I would like to take everything... Something curious is also that usually one is used to only accepting cards. Money*. But here they also accept card. So very good. - And many of the vendors are Mayans. - Because here there are still 3 million Mayans who live in the territory of Mexico. - And the guide told us that they already have a card machine. Yes. - To be able to accept payments. - Because many people come without money. And also, the Mayans are from the Yucatan Peninsula, right? - Yes. The Aztecs are in Mexico City. And here are the Mayans. - Exact. And why is it called "Yucatán"? Because when the Spanish arrived they didn't understand each other, so the Maya said "yucatán" and that meant "I don't understand." So, it stayed like that. I did not know it. - Me neither. - Well, this is the first pyramid that we stopped to observe. - Kukulkan is called. - And unlike the other pyramids, - this was the only one that was used - to bury human remains of important people. - Or rulers. - When they entered this pyramid, the entrance it has is from above, - they found bones that belonged to an important ruler - from here in Chichén-Itzá. - And this pyramid, apart from being unique for that reason, what is interesting - is that it is an exact replica of what is the main pyramid - of Chichén-Itzá. - Which is what we are going to see later. - And as you can see at each end of the ladder, - they have a snake. - The snake was one of the 13 gods that the Mayans had. - It was not something bad, on the contrary, it was something very good for them. - That's why it was something important and it wasn't something bad - as the Spaniards believed when they arrived here and colonized the lands. - That they saw him more as "a demon", as something bad. - And it was one of the excuses they had to invade - and take all this. - Now, something important is that 'Chichén-Itzá' - means 'mouth of the water well'. - And 'Itzá' were mythical characters that lived here. - And whose meaning was 'the sorcerers of the water'. - Because they had a lot of devotion towards water. - And they even had a god for that. - It is really impressive what this pyramid is. - And how it was maintained despite the fact that more than 1200 years passed. - That they built it. - Because this civilization began to inhabit here - around, more or less, the 9th century AD. C. - The name of the serpent god and the most important of the Maya - Kukulcán. - That later we will also see the pyramid that was made to revere him. - And be able to see the snake. - But here you can also see all the snakes with their mouths open. - The city is basically divided into two parts. - We have ancient Chichén-Itzá. - Chichén-Itzá new. - And a part where there are the pure Mayas and the mixed Mayas. - Because other types of tribes came too. - That they did commercial exchanges - and they were mixed. - Now we are entering a part that seems incredible to me. - Because this was the road or the paths of the Mayans. - Better known as "sacbé". - That it was all made of limestone. - What was the stone they extracted from here? - And they looked very white because of the type of material they used to make them. - The interesting thing is that here the Mayans - transported all the materials and food - and things that they exchanged with other tribes. - But also what they themselves produced. - And they wore it in a very peculiar way - because they hung it on their foreheads - with a type of ribbon. - Tape. - Exact. - And behind they carried kilos and kilos of merchandise. - Of which you can imagine. - That it was extremely heavy. - And with a very strong heat. - That's why they used to do it at night, - so that the work is a little lighter and more bearable. - And there at the end there was a guy with guards. - Who controlled the passage of these merchants. - The Mayans were one of the first civilizations too - to use paper. - They were extremely advanced. - And these were some of the tree barks that they used - to make that type of paper that they used. - To write his books. And it's called amate paper. - And a very important piece of information - is that the Mayans wrote thousands of books - which contained extremely valuable information. - Mainly about astronomy. - But when the Spanish arrived, to dominate the territory - and that there is no discrepancy - between what they believed and what the Mayans believed, - they ordered all the books to be burned. - And unfortunately that information was lost. And they were like 3 little pieces. One was found in Berlin. By a famous Russian whose name I forgot, and he began to investigate all that. And the three pieces are in three museums in Europe. - And he managed to decipher a lot of important information about the Mayan culture. - This tree is the famous "drunken stick". - As it is known today. - And it was very important to the Mayans. - Because it was the representation of life. - They said that when a soul died, it came to pass away, - first it went to the underworld. - Where he purified his soul. - Through the trunk it went through nine stages to reach the overworld. - Which was the liberation of the soul, right? - And for them the Pacha Mama, that is, the tree, was really - the representation of life as a whole. - And that tree is hollow and full of water. - Because they manage to penetrate with their roots in the cenotes. - What is the water that is below - that is formed by the source of the underground rivers. - And that's why it was so important to them. - Because the cenote is really something very sacred in the Mayan culture. - What I love, and Lisanna said that, - because she is Estonian and has a lot of connection with nature, - is that the Maya really had a very strong connection with the land. - And with the stars. Yes. - And that was his religion. - His way of living. - And that's what I'm loving the most. - I am telling you the truth. - Bags, look. - Thank you so much. - Precious. - Cheaper than Mercadona. I love how they say. Cheaper than a Lidl. - The Mercadona. - Spain. - Argentina. - I also heard "a dollar less than Walmart". - They said. Wooow... - Woow... Noo... How cute. - This is amazing. - And here we are arriving at the majestic pyramid of Chichén-Itzá. - That this does have a lot of history to tell. - Because obviously one sees and says - "it's a pyramid". - No, there are many things inside and outside of this place. - And here we come to the most important place. - Which is one of the seven wonders of the world, - which is what everyone comes to see. And we fulfilled 4 wonders! - Yay! We did it, my love! - What is the castle of Chichén-Itzá - or the Temple of Kukultán. - It is the main god that they venerated, which was the snake. - This place is amazing. - Because, from what we understood with Lisanna, - it was all done according to the Mayan calendar. - Since it has 4 stairs with 91 steps. - That multiplying them and adding the last step, - which is the one that leads to the top of the pyramid, - gives the 365 days of the year. - I mean, the Mayans were incredible with mathematics, - engineering, the cosmos and also with the calendar. - Since they created one of the most exact - and complex calendars that exist to this day in humanity. - Ah, there they are clapping. - Another very interesting thing - is that if we go there to clap now - we will be able to hear the noise of the bird (the quetzal). - That it was a very important bird for the Mayans - because it was the symbol of freedom. - And they made all the buildings in such a way - that the sound that is emitted when one claps - is from the quetzal. I listen. - Let's see. - Wow... That's amazing... - Did you hear?! - And the noise of the quetzal comes out of there. - Great. Something curious is that every March 21 and September 21 - something very incredible happens. Which is that the sun aligns perfectly for a snake to appear there. And it comes from up there, like this. I will put photos so you understand. And light up the head of the serpent. And that day it gathers about 15-20 thousand people. Imagine everyone applauding at that moment and what you hear the bird, right? - And that means that it is the day that the Mayans - had to start their corn plantation. - That the earth was already prepared for that. - They had everything mathematically calculated - to know exactly how they had to carry out their agriculture - and they knew exactly how the solar system worked. - The lunar system and the alignment of the planets. Yes. - By the Mayan calendar. I find this very incredible. - And inside this pyramid there is another pyramid - which has the god of water. - And there is a cenote that connects this entire building - to the underworld. - Where they made offerings for the earth, for the water and for their 13 gods. Years ago you could go up and enter. And see what's inside. Since 2008, by law, it is forbidden to go up to archaeological sites. To keep them. Because they found people who put their lyrics there. So, it was like harm. In November 2022, last year, there was a woman who came up while all the tourists were here. And they started yelling at him. It is full of videos on the internet. - Yes. - You can watch later. And a guide went to lower it, right? And he had to pay a fine of, I think, 5,000 MXN. And those are like 270 USD, something like that. For doing that. - There, also next door, is the Temple of the Warriors. - That it was an important temple, - because it was where the sacrifice of the warrior was made. - That his heart was going to be extracted and put as an offering - inside the Pyramid of Chichén-Itzá. - To Chaac Mool, who was the god of rain. - It's right here next to the main pyramid. They had everything already planned. - Mathematically - calculated. - Yes. I'm bad at math at that time I think I couldn't be a math. I hope there were other works... - This is the Temple of Venus. - It is in front of Chichén-Itzá. - And you can see it in low relief. - They designed figures that represented the planet Venus. - Because just like the sun, the moon and other planets that they studied, - Venus was one of them. - That's why it's called "The Temple of Venus". - Because it was a veneration towards that planet. - It is very important because it was a connection with the woman and also with the pregnancy. And why woman? Because in your calendar you have two cycles, right? - A cycle of 13 figures, which is the short cycle. - That lasts 260 days in the Mayan calendar. Which is 9 months. - Represents pregnancy and also the fertility of the land for the plantation. - And the long cycle, which is 365 days. - In other words, everything in the Mayan civilization has a meaning. - It was well thought out, well studied. - And it's very accurate. - Nothing here was done accidentally. - That's what's amazing. - The positive point of taking a tour - is that you learn very good details. - And the side, for me, that is not so positive - is that we always have to do it very quickly. Clear. - And guy running after the guide. Sure, you can't take the photos maybe longer. - Or you can't go that close because he already left for another place. Clear. - It has that positive and that negative side. It depends on what you are looking for. - Sure, it depends on what you're looking for. Come take photos. - The truth is that I would have liked to go a little slower - to see more detail and pay more attention. Clear. But the tour cost us 149 USD per person. Includes all entrance fees to Chichén-Itzá. We are going to the cenote, which is a very famous cenote. Let's go swimming there. We have a buffet, which is in the Mayan community. Round trip transportation and guide. No? Because we were doing calculations to do it alone. Already the round trip bus is 40 USD per person. Admission is like 60 USD, something around there. Plus a cenote. All of that adds up and it's going to be more expensive. The truth. And maybe you need two days to do it. - Of course, it has more advantages to do it for a tour. That on your own. Of course, if you want to know everything, walk here all day calmly, maybe it's better for you to come alone. - What you see here is Tzompantli. - That it was a wall full of skulls. - At the time they were real, with heads stuck on the stick. - And this was the entrance to Chichén-Itzá. - When the enemy came here to invade the city and saw the wall - he was intimidated, and that was the idea. - That's why the wall is all carved with skulls. - And obviously at the time there were real heads - of people who were decapitated. - And they put them there. - That's why it's called the Wall of Skulls. And something interesting that the guide also explained to us is that they always talk about making human sacrifices. But really, they did... - It was once in a while. - Clear. - Every three months, when the cycle of the seasons changed. So, instead of being a war where thousands and thousands of people died, they only did one and for them it was an honor. - It was a sacrifice and normally the person who was sacrificed - wanted to do it. - That it was a good thing for their civilization. - This is one of the most emblematic parts of Chichén-Itzá. - Because it is the Ball Game. - Many people think that this was a game. - But, in reality, it was a ritual - which consisted in the fact that they had to pass a ball that weighed about 2 kilos - through that hole that you can see up there. - The ball was made of an element that they took from the trees - and it weighed about 3 kilos. - And only certain parts of the body could be used - to hit the ball. - For example, the elbow, part of the waist. Knee. - Knee. - But you couldn't use your hands or feet. - The warrior who managed to pass the ball - was the warrior chosen to be sacrificed - and his heart was given to the god of water. - What was Chaac Mool. Of course, since we were just talking about sacrifice, that warrior who was able to meet such a great challenge had the honor of being sacrificed. - Clear. - And many will think - "but then the guy was never going to want to put the ball out there", right? - "Because they are going to sacrifice you." - No, for those warriors the sacrifice was the greatest. - It was an honor to be able to be sacrificed. - Because after that sacrifice that person came back to life as the sun god. How beautiful it is. - Yes, we came here to see it again because it is too beautiful. - But look how everything makes sense. - There was the pyramid for Kukulcán. - The main god of them. - Here was the Ball Game. - Where the warrior was found. - To make the sacrifice, to take his heart there. Clear. - Everything was close to the main pyramid. - All made and designed for what they were going to give to their god as a sacrifice. Some souvenirs. - Che, how many souvenir shops, right, Lisanna? A lot. Well, the truth is, the pyramid is pretty cool. - It's very good, very good. I like much much. - The experience. - It's cool, it's cool. He's very cool. - It's cool. Now we are, I think dating. And we are going to go to the cenote to swim. If possible, I would go eat earlier. But it is after the cenote. - In the comments of the tour people said that. - "I would have preferred to go to lunch and then go to the cenote." They say that after eating I don't know anything. Do you know why they say that? Because I do not know. - Because when you eat all the blood from your brain and your body - it goes to the stomach to process the food, right? - If you go swimming and move your body... - What was the theory like...? - It's like it can give you a cardio-respiratory arrest. - Because your whole body is working there in the stomach. - Something like that. - Oh ok. - But I may be saying a joke. - There are people there who know and can tell us better. Yes because. Stores continue. I'm impressed by how many there are. I really liked the first part a lot. Because already on the way they explained a lot. And the guide who explained was re enthusiastic. - You can tell they love what they do. - Very good. - Now we're going and we're going to take a dip. - We're going to take a very refreshing dip - because cenotes are river water, Lisanna. Uh... - And you have to jump. - Because if you don't jump into the cenote, my love, you're going to miss something very good. Yes, there I have no way to escape... Here we go. We arrived at the Ik Kal cenote! - Ik Kil *. - Ah... - It's 60 meters deep.
