Chichén-Itzá. Probably the most famous pyramid or ruin site in Mexico and one of the 7 wonders of the world. Unfortunately, I’m not a fan. But before everyone starts hating me and saying “How can you?!” Hear me out first and then judge.
My Chichén-Itzá story begins with a bus journey from the terminal in Valladolid to the ruins. Yes, you can also book tours, but there is a bus that goes there, so you save a bit of money and are also much more flexible in terms of time. When I was there –
Tip: either arrive on time for the opening of the gates or half an hour earlier or so, otherwise the queue is really long and everything is overcrowded. And best would be on a weekday. Sunday in particular is family day in Mexico. Means Saturday and Sunday are crazy crowded. –
As I didn’t have a ticket yet, I joined the queue and expected to pay around I don’t know, 5 to at most 7 euros. Why? Because it’s Mexico. Latin America is cheap. Even famous monuments. Only when it’s super touristy some things become exorbitantly expensive for no good reason. Accordingly, my eyes got pretty large when I looked at the price. 265 pesos (about 13 euros). That may not sound like much to you, but by Mexican standards it’s pretty damn expensive! As a comparison, today it costs twice as much. Ever since it became one of the wonders of the world. I was in it before that. So it’s now around 26 euros. Just saying. I personally find that insane. Honestly.
I went in anyway, because it’s one of the best-preserved and largest sites and all that. And I thought, “Maybe I can climb on it somewhere.” Apart from that, I just wanted to let me be surprised. That leads me to reasons number two and three.
So I go in and the first thing I hear is that I’m no longer allowed to climb on this rather high pyramid that you used to be allowed to climb onto. In general, you’re not allowed on many of them anymore and you can’t interact much. I understand the argument of preservatio, but…. I was simply disappointed. What was unfortunately added was…. And this is going to sound mean… I honestly don’t really like the Chichén-Itzá site. It’s big, yes, and well preserved, yes, but there are much! more beautiful sites in Mexico than Chichén-Itzá. Ekbalam, Uxmal, el Mirador and Teotihuacán, for example. And they don’t cost the earth, are interactive and really worth a visit.
My fourth and fifth reason why I didn’t like Chichén-Itza is that every step you take is predetermined and it feels like a huge tourist trap. I mean that as follows: There are signs everywhere about where you can and can’t go – it’s basically like a tour and not really “free”. For example, you can’t really explode. That honestly annoyed me. On top of that, you have stands lining your path everywhere. Like stands with souvenirs. And there are so many of them that I sometimes felt more like I was at a market than at a ruins site. And you really can’t avoid them. Whether on the way to Chichén-Itzá, or inside or between the individual ruins or…. No matter where you go, you will pass a stand selling souvenirs.
It’s perfectly fine if you don’t mind all that. I know that opinions can differ. And I also understand if you don’t want to miss out on the wonders of the world. But just be warned. In my opinion, it’s ridiculously expensive, – sorry @mexiko – the most unphotogenic ruins I’ve visited, despite the beautiful nature surrounding it, you’re constantly told where to go and everywhere you look, you see stands with overpriced souvenirs. The only reason I can think of why you might want to go there – for reasons other than the wonders of the world or touristy reasons – is if you are an archaeologist or interested in archaeology. Because if you want to grab an audio guide, learn a bit about the history or actually look at the ruins for their history, fair enough.
For those who just want to do Chichen-Itzá sightseeing-wise, you’ll save money if you just skip it. Cool and beautiful ruins that you can experience, where you can climb on top, that are okay in terms of price and are not completely overcrowded or overrun by so many stands that the ruins themselves actually take centre stage, are Ekbalam, Uxmal, Teotihuacán and el Mirador. With the exception of El Mirador, they are all very easy to reach.
About Chichén-Itzá: Go if you must, but…. I wouldn’t recommend it to you. It’s one of my biggest Mexico don’ts.