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The Pyramide del Castillo
    Better known as The Castillo by the Spaniards, or Kukulkan.  Here seen from its backside, where the staircase was not reconstructed. The Toltec section of Chichén Itza (some 1000 years old) is dominated by this structure, with its 91 steps to the top. If you multiply that number by four you get the "secret" of this maganificent temple to the god Quetzalcoatl--the plummed serpent.  The outer shell, as seen here, covers over an even more ancient pyramid, which holds the a temple of the jaguar, only accessible from the inside. Sadly I didn't have time to see it.

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"Couples!"
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    I might have called this Twin Snakes, since it was originally taken to simply have a close up of the serpent heads.  As I began working with the graphic scan it revealed far more to me.  At first I planned to cut out the man on the left, a possibility with Photoshop.  But considering the tall, slim lady making her way up the steps I decided to approach the picture from another point of view.  By bringing out the flesh tones of both her and the man on the left, I ended up with what I consider a far more interesting picture--which I especially like.
    Thus it became simply: "Couples!" 'cause, as you can see, two snake-heads and the two colorful people, one going up, the other racing away.
    The woman's bold step upwards illustrates the steep climb ahead (all 91 steps). The man seems to be rushing off and away.  Does he in some way connect with the woman?  Who knows.
    Yet, just imagine, if they were a couple...
    Not all people make it to the top.  Some couples will make it together, others will go at their own pace, some reaching the temple above to their own personal sense of glory.

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Going up, on all fours, and coming down clinging to the rope.

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Me & other Self Portraits

A picture of the Grand Ball Court and Temple of the Jaguars as seen from the top!

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Inside the Temple at top.

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From the Top

The Temple of Warriors.

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Coming down with a skip & a hop!

    I did a lot of sitting, like the lady on the far left. Note the rope being clung to along the middle of the stairs.  Not everybody was as brave as this rather lively fella.  The woman sitting (second from the right) is just about where I stopped along the way up.  I came down the middle, clinging to the rope, step by step.  (Sorry, I had no pride--no male ego getting in the way of making it to the top!)
Click on number to access that page:
Set 1
The 
Beginnings
Set 2
Through
The Site
Set 3
Some
Old Ruins
Set 4
The
Ballcourt
Set 5
The
Pyramid
Set 6
 Warriors
 Temple
Set 7
The
Well


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