Coinciding with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) – Diego Prieto Hernández – reported that Chichén Itzá broke a record last Tuesday, January 23, when 7.500 people visited in a single day.
“Fortunately, a lot of progress has been made because there is talk in the morning, videos are presented and many people already have a great desire to go to the archaeological zones and the number of visitors is growing,” highlighted President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
In a morning press conference, the general director of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), Diego Prieto Hernández, reported that Chichén Itzá broke a record last Tuesday, January 23, when 7.500 people visited it in a single day.
In 2023, the archaeological zone located in Yucatán received 2 million 300 thousand national and foreign tourists, that is, an increase of 17% compared to 2022.
“We have had a notable increase in the influx of visitors to the archaeological zones throughout the country, but particularly from the Mayan area and very particularly from the areas near the Mayan Train route,” said the head of the INAH.
Last year Uxmal, in Yucatán, had an increase in visits of 20% and Tulum, in Quintana Roo, 23%.
The Mexican president highlighted the country’s cultural wealth
During his work tour of the state of Yucatan, the president of Mexico- Andrés Manuel López Obrador- directed a message from the archaeological zone of Chichen Itzá, one of the new 7 wonders of the world.
Days ago, the president of Mexico- Andrés Manuel López Obrador- shared a video on his social networks, where he assured that Mexico is one of the most important cultural powers in the world and highlighted Chichén Itzá, as well as the country’s cultural heritage.
“It is one of the most imposing, great, monumental Mayan nation cities, such as Calakmul, such as Palenque, and like many others,” said the president.
Chichén Itzá, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World
Mayan civilization was a very advanced civilization. His empire, hidden in the tropical jungle, was formed by large palaces and imposing pyramids. Although the Maya had settled in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico much earlier, they perfected their construction techniques around 900 A.D. The most important city of Yucatán dates from this period: Chichen Itzá.
The Kukulcán temple in Chichén Itzá is part of the famous new 7 wonders of the world, complete the list: the Great Chinese wall, Petra-Jordan, Machu Picchu- Peru, Christ Redentor-Brazil, Roman Coliseum-Italy and the Taj Mahal in India.
This impressive pyramid symbolizes the grandiosity of Mayan civilization. This gray -white colossus has a height of 30 meters and 365 steps to the top of the temple: 365 are also the number of days of the Mayan calendar. The Maya Society was very advanced, with an entrenched culture of art, crafts, trade and science.
They were particularly skilled in mathematics and astronomy: they developed the number zero independently. Without computers or calculators, they created a unique phenomenon that develops 2 times a year: during spring and autumn equinoxes, the shadow of the sun is projected in the pyramid as a snake that slides down the stairs. That snake, found in many ornaments by Chichén Itzá, represents Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl, also known as the “feathered snake.” Towards the change of the past Millennium, he directed the Mayan Empire and was later venerated as Mayan God with the name of Kukulcán.
Chichén Itzá turned into a glorious capital, with a market, the “ball game” field, an altar of sacrifices and a convent, a bath house, a snail -shaped observatory and countless temples and palaces – a structure decorated with still with still More charm than the other, with hieroglyphs, animals and sculpted gods, including the omnipresent deity of the rain with crooked nose.