Chi Chen Itza is only one of the many Mayan ruins that can be visited from the Cancun area, but it was much more impressive than I could have imagined. We managed to get both Deanna and Laura on this trip, even though their spring vacations were off by a week. The main pyramid type building is shown on the first picture. Tourists are allowed to walk up the steps of the pyramid, which is more than a little dangerous, especially coming down. They would never allow this in California. We all climbed to the top, but went slower on the way down. There are no landings in between the 91 steps, so if you fall, you fall and you fall and you fall.
You can also go inside the pyramid but its very hot and there is much internal climbing to be done. We skipped it. They called an ambulance for someone who conked out inside, while we were there. There are 10 or so other buildings, all with very ornate carvings on the outside. Laura did not feel well, so she did not do the climb.