Best Books for Young Adults: The Secret At Chichen Itza

CHAPTER 1

FLYiNG TO PiSTÉ

It was spring and getting pretty hot. Landis, a young teenager was sitting beside her mum Casey, who was piloting their Cessna over the jungle canopy of the Yucatan. Landis’ chihuahua Chaya was on her lap looking out the window and shivering, which is what chihuahuas do.

Landis was very excited because when she finished her book called ‘The Legend of Chichen Itza’, she found out that Casey was bringing her to Pisté, the village right beside Chichen Itza.

And that meant, too, that Landis would be visiting her friend Maya and Maya’s brother, Ray!

Ray knew that Casey had a plane, so he had called Casey yesterday to help him on a very important mission. He said he couldn’t tell her more than that until she arrived in Pisté. Casey and Landis were ready the next day and were now getting very close to Pisté.

"It says the legend is two thousand years old and it talks about how on the spring and fall equinox, one of the serpent sisters slithers down the sides of the ‘La gran pirámide’, the Grand Pyramid. Can you believe that Maya’s village is two thousand years old, mum?" asked Landis.

And the spring equinox is tomorrow, answered Casey. It will be very busy here. Travelers from all over come to see one of the most spectacular displays of imagination, architecture and astronomy in the world!

The Mayan culture goes all the way back to 2600 years B.C., exclaimed Casey. And as you know from your friend Maya, they are still here today. That makes some their villages over 4,600 years old.

Wow, and some things really haven’t changed much, either, Mum - Maya told me her grandmother still cooks over a fire and lives in a palapa, which is a wood log and stick house with palm leaves for the roof. And sometimes when it’s time to tap chicle in the jungle Maya’s grandfather lives in a CAVE! exclaimed Landis.

There are cacao trees here that grow chocolate and zapote trees to make chewing gum. So this is the real, live candyland, too, laughed Casey. Or more like, it WAS a candyland - a terrible fire has ripped through some of the area, luckily not striking the village, but making a mess of the trees that were just about to be tapped.

So that’s why we loaded up the plane with the clothes we don’t wear anymore. And you bought some blankets and huge bags of masa flour that the villagers use for tortillas, said Landis.

Casey pointed ahead and they saw where the fire had burned through a large section of the jungle, coming dangerously close to the village.

How sad, exclaimed Landis. I am glad it didn’t get near the village, but it’s sad to think of the animals losing their homes. I hope they all got out.

Oh yes, I am sure they did, Casey assured her. They would smell and sense the fire long before humans did!

Hey, there’s Chichen Itza Park. We can’t get too close to scare everyone, but we can see the Grand Pyramid. Just think it is over two thousand years old! Back then this town was so big it went as far as the eye could see.

Casey tilted the plane to give Landis a good look.

Landis looked but all she saw was a little village on one side of the Grand Pyramid and a big parking lot for tourei (Landis scientific name for more than one tourist) buses on the other. The rest was jungle.

I know the pyramid is huge but from up here it looks like a little building block with ants all over it, said Landis.

It has ninety-one steps on all four sides, Landis continued. And if you add those up on each side that totals 364, plus one step at the top into the sanctuary where the Princess Itza Emerald must have been kept makes 365, which is the number of days in a year.

The Mayans were very clever putting interesting facts like that in the architecture of their buildings,

added Casey. Okay, let’s buzz Ray’s house so he knows to come and pick us up when we land.

She pushed in the steering column to lower the nose and the plane swooped down towards the little rows of streets and houses. Landis saw the town square – the ‘zocolo’ in Spanish – where she saw a bunch of teenagers playing the ancient Mayan game PokTaPok.

I know the game because we studied it in school, Landis said pointing to the zocolo. It is the oldest team sport in the world. It is halfway between basketball and soccer. Instead of a soccer net, it has a basketball hoop on its side.

The ball is hard Indian rubber so the players can’t use their hands. They have to propel it around the court with their hips, which are covered in padding, she added smartly.

As they buzzed the game, the teenagers stopped to watch the plane go over their heads.

Hey, there’s Maya’s house, pointed Casey, taking one hand off the steering column to show Landis. Casey worked with Ray, Maya’s older brother, on special documentaries about his job. Ray used to be a tour guide in Chichen Itza but when the animal ranger retired, Ray got the best job in the world - to care for the descendants of ancient Mayan royal jaguars.

While they flew past the pyramid to the landing strip Casey explained that she and Ray had to fly to Mexico City to bring a very important package to the federal government and Landis would stay with Maya. Landis was thrilled!

But now Ray couldn’t go because one of the royal jaguars still hadn’t had her litter of cubs and Ray needed to stay with her after all.

Don’t worry about me, Landis’ mum declared. I will be back just before dark tonight.

Hey – look! Landis shouted. I see Maya – that is so cool to BE Mayan, and be called Maya! Maya was so excited to hear the plane she ran out of her palapa with her arms flapping!

Landis’ mum pulled the steering column towards her and brought the nose of the plane up, causing them to start climbing a little. They flew out over more jungle and her mum said that when they land at an uncontrolled airport - which meant there were no people in a control tower helping the planes land - that they should fly over the runway first to make sure everything was okay.

They flew over the runway and her mum saw that everything was clear. They made a steep turn and joined the downwind leg of the circuit.

Her mum prepared the plane for landing and Landis had fun watching their shadow on the treetops fly right up underneath them. She loved to watch the shadow come closer and closer to them as they approached the runway until – WHAM! But -

Whoa! shouted her mum as she abruptly pulled the steering column back, raised the wing flaps and pushed the throttle in full force so the plane screamed off again without ever touching the ground.

Phew, that was a close call, she shouted as she levelled the plane out again and turned to make another circuit.

What happened? cried Landis. We’ve never done that before!

We were just about to land and there was a huge green iguana sitting in the middle of the runway, her mum looked over her shoulder to try to see the runway from the downwind leg. I can’t believe I didn’t see her in the flyby, she just appeared out of nowhere! Did you see how big she was?

Casey had been flying a long time so it was difficult to rattle her, but this time she seemed a little anxious. She composed herself quickly though.

Landis strained to look and see the iguana but there was nothing but empty tarmac. What she did see however was the rooftop of a white building off to one side of the open grassy arena of the pyramid. It was peeking out from some tall trees and appeared to have writing on it, but as they flew over, Landis realized it looked more like a symbol or something. And it wasn’t painted on, it seemed to be a different color of stone. ‘Interesting,’ thought Landis.

They made a short field landing and taxied off the runway to the parking lot. Just as her mum shut off the engines Ray’s pickup truck with Maya standing in the back squealed out of the gap in the jungle.

I don’t think her arms have stopped waving since we saw her running out of her palapa! Landis said to Casey. I wonder if she is tired yet?

Maya flew out of the truck before Ray came to a complete stop.

Maya, careful, he laughingly warned her, but Maya didn’t even hear him.

Hey Landis – I am so happy to see you! Maya was very exuberant and gave big bear hugs, so Landis braced herself.

I think you might take all the wind out of me when you get bigger, Landis remarked to Maya. I am so happy to see you, too, Maya, this is going to be SO much fun!

Hi again, Casey! Maya also squeezed Landis’ mum just as tight, but Casey was bigger and could take it.

Ray and Casey hugged hello too, and everyone helped to unload the bags of clothes and some presents they brought from the city. Casey brought Landis’ bike and Ray unloaded it last and placed it in the back of the pickup.

Maya saw it and squealed in delight. It’s great you brought your bike, too, Landis, Ray gave me his old one. Now we can ride all over the place because there are tons of adventures here. Hey and you have a new basket on your bike now, too!

That’s a seat for Chaya, explained Landis. So when we are going somewhere fast she can sit in it. Her legs can’t keep up like a big dog!

Casey was anxious to move on to her long flight to Mexico City but she wanted to see the momma jaguar first. Hey I really should get going, Ray, but please, can you take me to see the royal sanctuary? asked Casey. I would love to meet your jaguar mother-to-be!

Ray put the specially wrapped parcel he was going to give her back behind the seat in the truck and said, Why sure, of course, let’s go! Everyone aboard!

Maya and Landis sat in the back of the pickup on top of the soft bags of clothes. They had a lot of fun bouncing on them over the bumps. They laughed a lot but overheard Casey and Ray talking through the little window, which Landis passed Chaya through when it got too bumpy.

Maya asked Landis if she had ever eaten Chicken Pizza.

Actually, no, I don’t think I have, smiled Landis as she sensed one of Maya’s silly jokes coming on.

That’s good because it’s Chichen Itza, Maya shrieked with laughter at the joke and then so did Landis.

CHAPTER 2

The Legend of Chichen Itza 520 A.D.

Once upon a time deep in the tropical jungles of many lands far away called ‘Ulumil Cuz Yetel Ceh’, which means ‘land of the turkey and deer’ in Mayan, there were two green iguana sisters named 'B’u' and 'M’u', which are both Mayan for 'iguana'.

B’u and M’u were beautiful gigantic iguanas with soft scales and in the sun it seemed they were encrusted with beautiful pearls around their necks. They had shiny spines on their backs, which they used to show their happiness or unhappiness by putting them up or down to their friends.

They had no school because there was nothing to learn, except what their parents told them about how to live in the jungle with their friends the monkeys, toucans and the coatimundis. Their best friend was a white jaguar named 'Chilam Balam', which means ‘wise one’ and ‘jaguar’ in Mayan. Chilam Balam

played with them and protected them because sometimes they could get themselves into trouble.

B’u and M’u grew up swimming every day with their friends in the sparkling water of the 'Xtoloc Cenote'; a deep sinkhole filled with refreshing underground water, jumping from the cliff walls, racing up and down the rocks with sticky suckered feet, eating juicy mangos and ripe bananas right off the trees!

They ate chocolate all day long and believe it or not, they chewed a lot of gum because it oozed out of the trees where they lived!

The sun shone hotly most of the time, and B’u and M’u loved to bask on the rocks and watch the clouds make fluffy animal faces and they would laugh with glee. It hardly ever rained, but when it did, B’u, M’u and Chilam Balam would run around enjoying the outdoor shower because it was always warm water falling from heaven!

The sisters were a little bit exasperating sometimes, because they did not like rules very much. If the old scary shaman guarding the revered Chichen Itza Pyramid did not see them the iguanas with their sturdy legs would bolt up the 91 steps to the top of the pyramid and see far out over the tops of the trees.

Chilam Balam never went up with them; he said it was wrong because it went against the rules of the village. And besides, if he went up they would all be seen and get caught for sure, he said.

B’u and M’u watched the monkey bands run across the tops of the tall trees, and depending upon the season the colorful orchids atop the jungle would sway back and forth like a meadow of daisies. They could see how big the land was that they lived in and how it went on and on forever.

If they were especially careful, they would enter the sanctuary temple at the top of Chichen Itza and

gaze upon the Princess Itza Emerald, which was the most beautiful treasure the land had ever known, and which had to stay right where it was, or it could mean a big curse on the whole village of Pisté.

One fateful day when the shaman looked like he was sleeping B’u and M’u clambered to the top to look at the emerald.

The emerald case hasp was not fastened so when her sister wasn’t looking M’u quietly stole the emerald and hid it in her rolled up tongue. When she got home she could brag and show Chilam Balam what she had done. However, as she turned to leave the shaman sprang out and caught her!

When he suddenly appeared, she jumped and her sucker