Chichén Itzá Now One of a the New Seven Wonders July 10, 2007
Chichén Itzá, Mexico It's official. Chichén Itzá is one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Mexico was jubilant Saturday when the news was announced. Thousands of local residents and tourists, who had gathered at the Mayan temple city to await the news, cheered wildly. The announcement from the New 7 Wonders committee came via a televised ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal. In our June 27 First Alert we wrote about Chichén Itzá's nomination in the New 7 Wonders poll. More than 60 million votes were cast worldwide in an Internet poll featuring 21 architectural monuments. By sheer numbers, it's one of the largest global polls ever conducted. (For a list of all seven winners, click here.) Many archaeologists around the world, however, are taking a dim view of the New 7 Wonders phenomenon. The avowed goal of the campaign was to protect our global heritage by raising awareness. So why, archaeologists ask, did the campaign choose to highlight monuments that are already well protected, when so many others aren't?
Sour grapes, or a valid point? Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, or INAH) is worried that Chichén Itzá's new honor will be a mixed blessing. The ruins already receive 1.2 million visitors a year, and INAH estimates that numbers could double in the wake of the new Seven Wonders status. The site can handle a maximum of 1.5 million visitors a year, according to INAH. Due to tourist traffic concerns, visitors are already forbidden from climbing the Pyramid of Kukulkan, Chichén Itzá's most famous landmark, and from visiting some of the excavations. So, if in the future you find you can't get into Chichén Itzá, what do you do? Mexico, with its phenomenally rich cultural heritage, offers no shortage of sites to visit. Just for starters, there are the Aztec remains in Mexico City, the Zapotec sites of Oaxaca, the Olmec remains in Tabasco, and the wealth of Maya ruins throughout the Yucatan and Chiapas. Only an hour west of Chichén Itzá, on the main Mérida-Cancún highway, you can turn south onto local roads to meander the Ruta Puuc, the Puuc Route. A 30-mile loop will take you past the ancient Maya ceremonial city of Uxmal, a worthy alternative to Chichén Itzá, as well as three or four small but lovely sites-that you may well have all to yourself. Best Regards, Suzan Haskins
Editor, Mexico Insider
International Living P.S. There is no shortage of things to see and do in Mexico. With its diverse geography and climate, cultural wealth, great food, and friendly people, it's no wonder that Mexico is one of the world's top retirement and second-home destinations. If you're thinking of making the move to Mexico, there's no better resource than Mexico The Owner's Manual. It gives you the inside scoop on what you need to know. Find out more here. |
