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The Arena


The Arena
Photo Information
Copyright: Sunil Tantirige (linus) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1474 W: 10 N: 738] (10757)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-12-20
Categories: Architecture
Camera: Canon PowerShot SD600
Exposure: f/7.1, 1/500 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Date Submitted: 2009-02-15 16:11
Viewed: 210
Points: 4
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
This is a broader view of the ball court at Chichen Itza. I have previously posted a few close ups. The people at the wall gives a scale to show the dimensions. The ring on the wall, that is above the people is one of the two “goal posts” through which one had to pass the rubber ball in order to score. The other one is on the opposite wall, behind where I was standing to take this photo. The spectators would be on the top of the walls, looking down on the play area. There is a stone pavilion at the left end of the rectangular court, where the king was.

The ball court has amazing acoustics, as our tour guide demonstrated, if you clap or shout from a location below the stone ring, you heard at least 10 echoes – we counted them. There were similar strong acoustic locations everywhere around the buildings in Chichen Itza, demonstrating again how mathematically precise, to which these buildings had been constructed.

Impressive as these buildings were, this whole city, and the late Maya society, had a very violent history. At the ball court, it is said that the winning team was sacrificed to the gods. Just beyond the ball court, there is a wall of fame where 3000 faces of the winners, whose heads were cut off after the games ,are carved on. Beyond the ball court, there is the warrior’s temple where human sacrifices were made to please gods and prevent bad times. It is said that during the sacrificial rituals, these temples ran red with human blood, so many being sacrificed at a given ceremony. There are stone carvings all over the place which shows the way the human sacrifices were made.

A very impressive place, with a terrible beauty that made one shudder as we listened to its history.

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Critiques [Translate]

An impressive view Sunil. Yes, I agree - the inclusion of the people here really gives a good sense of the size of this place. Nice and sharp, and great colors.
Trudy

hello sunil
Good shot with excellent colors
Well done
sergio

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