Hand-Crafted Jewelry From Chichén Itzá
The ancient Maya city of Chichén Itzá is best known for the pyramid that towers nearly 100 feet (30 meters) over the Yucatan Peninsula. This amazing structure was recently honored as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The pyramid is called “El Castillo” in Spanish, which means “The Castle”. The Maya call it the “Temple of Kukulkan”, named for the winged serpent god that is an important deity to the Maya people. The steps of the pyramid are adorned with the head of Kukulkan at their base and every spring and autumn equinox, the sun casts a shadow along the steps that creates a serpent’s tail leading to the temple's summit.
Limited Edition Maya Pendants
Now you can own hand-crafted jewelry direct from Yucatan, the land of the Maya! We offer a special Maya pendant that is a faithful reproduction of the Pyramid at Chichén Itzá. We also offer customized pendants featuring your name inscribed with silver or gold in Mayan hieroglyphics. Our unique designs are not mass-produced, foreign imports that tourists usually buy. Each of our pendants are hand-made by descendents of the ancient Maya who live here in Yucatan. No two are alike! Our craftsmen produce attractive and comfortable Maya Jewelry using the best materials and workmanship. You'll be proud to wear these works of art knowing that you are supporting the Maya and their culture.
Chichén Itzá History
There are many Maya legends about the rise and fall of Chichén Itzá. It is a very old city and many structures were originally built in the tradition of the Puuc Maya of southern Yucatan. But sometime during the Late Classic period, the “Magicians of the Water”, called Itzá in the Mayan language, arrived by sea from the north, bringing with them many Toltec customs from central Mexico. The design for the Temple of Kukulkan, as well as the introduction of the winged serpent god himself, called Quetzalcoatl in central Mexico, were introduced to the Yucatec Maya by the Itzá people. Before long, the Itzá ruled at Chichén Itzá and maintained an uneasy alliance with the rulers of two other important Maya cities: Uxmal and Mayapan.
Besides the famous pyramid, another well-known landmark at Chichén Itzá is the sacred cenote, a deep, fresh water sinkhole that descends 70 feet into the limestone before reaching the water's surface. In Mayan, chi means mouth and chén means well, so it is from the sacred cenote and the Itzá people that the city of Chichén Itzá gets its name.
About 250 years before the arrival of the Spaniards, the rulers of Mayapan requested permission to pilgrimage to the sacred cenote at Chichén Itzá so they could perform a sacrifice ritual in hopes of learning the will of the gods. It was believed that if the right person was thrown into the sacred cenote and lived, then they would return with an important prophecy that would guide their rulers.
During the ritual, as one after another sacrificial victim failed to return to the surface of the sacred cenote, an ambitious commoner, who had taught himself how to swim, dove into the depths of the cenote and returned to the surface. His name was Hunac Ceel, and he claimed to have an important message from the gods: He was to rule all of Yucatan! None would argue with the will of the Maya gods. So began the great Cocom Dynasty of Mayapan, which would eventually overthrow the Itzá and rule central Yucatan until the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.
