059 - The Pyramid of Kukulkan at Chichén Itzá

You've seen the Pyramid on countless tourism brochures, but what do you really know about the Mayan city of Chichén Itzá and it's magnificent pyramid? Did you know it's built over a cenote, a natural water-filled sinkhole? Have you heard the legend of the Toltec king from Central Mexico who might have conquered the city in 987? To help explore the answers, Robert Bitto from the Mexico Unexplained podcast appears with his take on the mysteries of the pyramid. We also talk about the Spanish archbishop who first described the city after having burned nearly all Mayan writings and the wild rush that was 2012, the apocalypse that didn't quite come off. Join us for some cochinita pibil as we talk about the Yucatán! Sources: Carlsen, William.  Jungle of Stone: the True Story of Two Men, Their Extraordinary Journey, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya Fehrenbach, TR. Fire and Blood: a History of Mexico Hecht, John. Lonely Planet: Cancún, Cozumel & the Yucatán Landa, Diego de.  Yucatan Before and After the Conquest Onstott, Jane. National Geographic Traveler: Mexico Prado, Liza and Gary Chandler. Moon Handbook: Yucatán Peninsula Schele, Linda. The Code of Kings: the Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs Stephens, John L. Incidents of Travel in Yucatan Weaver, Muriel Porter. The Aztec, Maya, and Their Predecessors: Archaeology of Mesoamerica Webster, David L. The Fall of the Ancient Maya: Solving the Mystery of the Maya Collapse Music by Los Tres Reyes, Los Montejo, Victor Manuel Aarón Sánchez, and Hidalgo Tzec Haas Photograph by wikipedia user Cocojorgefalcon