Traveling to the World's Most Famous Sites: Even More Little-Known Facts

This is the second installment of Little-Known Facts About Big Tourist Attractions. Here we study Mexico, Russia, Brazil, Italy, and Romania in a quest to learn more than just the bare facts about famous historic places. Obscure details and hard-to-find historical information will come to life for the curious reader.

A Different Kind of Pyramid
Temple of Kukulcan (Chichen Itza, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico).
The pyramids of Egypt and the pyramids of Mexico are vastly different; Egypt's stone pyramids are simple, pointed, more ancient. Mexico's pyramids are stone, flat at the top, and still very old but not quite as old as those at Giza. The temple at Chichen Itza is the best tourist attraction to visit for those who are planning to travel to the Yucatan. The area that Kukulkan (the pyramid) now encompasses was once a busy city of the Mesoamerican people known as the Mayans. This was about 1,200 years ago. Kukulkan's specifications were probably inspired by the Mayans' ancestors, another Mesoamerican group called the Toltecs.

Visitors who come at just the right time can see that the pyramid may have been a giant calendar of sorts, forming odd shadows in certain seasons. The ancient peoples of Mexico were very influenced by the coming and going of the seasons and astronomical studies. The pyramid is not the only building in the complex; other buildings, such as a Ball Court, can be explored. These were not nice, fun games; in ancient days, if you lost a match, you were also likely to lose your life.

Best Time to Travel: In the morning, when the weather is (semi) cool, or when a special event like a light show will occur.