George And Audrey DeLange

Chichen Itza (Chee-chen-eet-sa) The Caracol. Located on the south side of the highway that bisects the ruins of Chichen Itza is the Caracol which is commonly translated to mean The Snail. The Caracol is definitely proven to be an Astronomical Observatory. Since George is an Astronomer he was especially interested in visiting this site. The substructure of The Caracol which has a massive stairway was completed in the Late Maya Classic Period between about A. D. 600-850. The base structure is Puuc Style and is Maya but the overall building is constructed in the Maya - Mexican Style. The building over all is the oldest Maya - Mexican style building at Chichen Itza. The unique part of this structure is the round observatory with its five - member medial molding and spiral staircase. Evidence suggests that this part of the building was remodled and used for about four hundred years between A. D. 800 to 1200. The circular tower was added to the substructure and it is forty-eight feet high. The lower course of the tower was solid. The second circular course contains two galleries with a spiral staircase leading to the observatory. The windows and shafts leading to the windows are oriented to indicate the azimuths for west and south, the equinoxes, and the summer solstice.