OK guys...whats the skinny on climbing El Castillo....open or closed??? We are going in July, and would love for my teens to experience Chichen Itza from that gorgeous bird's eye view!!!! :usaface:
I was there two Saturdays ago and the Temple of Kukulcan or El Castillo is closed and our guide said it was closed due to a person damaging the inside walls at the top with Grafitti. Pretty much ruined it for everyone. Thanks idiot! Now another building was available to climb but not nearly as impressive as Kukulcan. I enjoyed the tour very much and have to say that Santos was probably the best guide I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. This tour was booked through Brant and was well worth it.
That other building you mentioned I think is "the observatory". Ana reported it open when she visited it not too long ago. That's one interesting edifice...it has a dome.
I have some great pics I took of the observatory, however, I really wished we could climb the Castle.....I heard about a lady falling.... :roll:
...apparently happened on two consecutive months in early...2006? Both times involved older ladies trying to make the climb.
Here is a view looking up the stairs: Now I am a Roof Consultant and am usually working at extreme heights and I had second thoughts on if I would climb it. The think that is interesting about the steps is they are about 6" deep at best. Need to ascend and descend sideways if it was open. The trip is well worth it, even if it isn't open to climb. Take a floppy hat though and plenty of water, because it is hot there.
Some More Images Taken at El Castillo These are some shots from a couple of our 6 expeditions to the top. This year's visitors have all been there before, so for the first time since we've been here, there's no climbing, unless they want to go to Coba, where you can still climb. Anyhow, in view of the lack of guard rails, I guess an OSHA inspector would have a heart attack, and not from the climb . The View From the Top Coming Down The Hall Of A Thousand Columns
