NOVEMBER 18:

1994 Quebec government officially shelves Hydro Quebec's $13.3-billion Great Whale powerdam project after lobbying by Quebec Crees and a softening of the US power market.

In 1978, California congressman Leo J. Ryan and four other people were killed in Jonestown, Guyana, by members of the People's Temple; the killings were followed by a night of mass murder and suicide by 912 cult members.

Standard time, invented by Sir Sandford Fleming, was adopted in Canada 118 years ago today, in 1883. The rest of the world adopted Fleming's system at an international conference in Washington in 1884

November 18, 1785:  Today Principal Cherokee Chief Old Tassel, and many other Cherokee arrived at Hopewell to discuss a treaty with the United States.

November 18, 1805:  Clark meets Chinook Indians.

November 18, 864: The Great Ballcourt at Chichen Itza is dedicated by the Maya.
 

BACKGROUND:

A photo gallery showing Chichen Itza can be viewed at 
http://www.jqjacobs.net/mesoamerica/chichen.html
 

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From http://www.real.com.mx/Cancun/chichen-itza.asp
 

Chichen-Itzá is located at 120 km East of Mérida and 190 km West of Cancún, in the state of Yucatán. Hidden by the jungle for hundreds of years the great cities of the Mayans are being reclaimed. Exactly why this civilazation collapsed is still a mystery. One of the greatest sites and the most fully restored is the huge site of Chichen Itzá, one of the most visited, by its extraordinary architectonic beauty and geographic location. It was discovered in the year 514 of our age by the priest Lakin Chan, who was called Itzamná. While Europe was still in the midst of the Dark Ages, these amazing people had mapped the heavens, evolved the only true writing system native to the Americas and were masters of mathematics. They invented a calendar as accurately as the one used today. Without metal tools, beasts of burden or even the wheel they were able to contsruct vast cities across a huge jungle landscape with an amazing degree of architectural perfection and variety. Their legacy in stone, which has survived in a spectacular fashion it places such as Palenque, Tikal, Tulum, Chichen Itzá, Palenque, Copan and Uxmal; the Maya are probably the best-known of the classical civilizations of Mesoamerica. Originating in the Yucatán Península around 2600 BC, they rose to prominence around AD 250 in present-day.

Around 300 BC, the Maya adopted a hierarchical system of government ruled by nobles and kings. This civilization developed into highly structured kingdoms during the Classic period, AD 200-900.

Their society consisted of many independent states, each with a rural farming community and large urban sites built around ceremonial centers. It started to decline around AD 900 when - for reasons which are still largely a mystery - the southern Maya abandoned their cities. When the northern Maya were integrated into the Toltec society by AD 1200, the Maya dynasty finally came to an end, although some peripheral centers continued to thrive until the Spanish Conquest in the early sixteenth century. Chichen Itzá was first settled by the Maya who built up the original sections of the city. Chichen Itzá was conquered by a displaced segment of the Toltec population, who settled in the city, and remained for 200 years, until the fall of their empire.

At the arrival of the Spanish, it was about 345 years that Chichen Itzá had been left for the second time as a result of a civil war, and between 1196 and 1441 the final collapse of this culture took place in the north of the Península. The conquers found the buildings partially in ruins and its name and real use were unknown; that is why their present names are only assumed. .

El Castillo (The Castle). The massive Kukulcán pyramid called El Castillo (The Castle) is roughly at the center of the site. To climb it is quite a challenge and those who make it are rewarded with a spectacular view of the city and surrounding country side. A trip inside the pyramid is quite the opposite. The dark, unbearbly humid corridors and chambers are too much for some people. The construction of the Kukulcán Pyramid was planned in such a way that each spring equinox the dying sun would cast a shadow of a serpent going down the steps of the pyramid and in the autumn equinox the shadow of the serpent goes up. These events mark the hot and the cold seasons. Every year over 40,000 people make the trek to the great pyramid to watch in awe as the snake's diamond backed body slowly appears. If you stand facing the foot of the temple and shout, the echo comes back as a piercing shriek. Also, a person standing on the top step can speak in a normal voice and be heard by those at ground level for some distance. This quality is also shared by another Mayan pyramid at Tikal.

The Temple of the Warriors. The Temple of the Warriors and its adyacent Temple of the Jaguar are the most inspiring ruins on the complex. A massive temple structure, surrounded by hundreds of columns is carved with reliefs, the columns continue on to the jungle, that part of the temple still has not been restored. It is an unsettling sight to see how easily the forest has reclaimed the area.

The Observatory. The intense interest of the Maya in the annual travels of the sun across the sky is evident in many structures at Chichen Itzá and other Mayan sites. South of the Castillo is a strange round building known as the Caracol (snail), which is astually an observatory. Several of its windows point towards the equinox sunset and the southernmost and northermost points on the horizon where Venus rises.

The Sacred Well. The Cenote of Sacrifices was reserved for rituals and human sacrifice involving the God of the Rain. The victims were not only young beautiful women, but also children and elderly men and women. In Chichen Itzá, a distinct kind of human sacrifice was performed. Victims were bound and thrown into deep natural wells. If the victim was still alive after a certain amount of time, then he or she was rescued. That person was said to have been spared by the Gods. Furthermore, that person was believed to have a message from the Gods. Many worshippers also threw in valuable objects like gold and jade jewelry as sacrifices for the Rain God.

The Nunnery. The Nunnery, in the southern group of ruins, contains some of the best preserved structures at Chichen Itzá. They appear to be the living quarters of the elite Mayans. Every square foot of wall has reliefs and paintings decorating it. Like in most of the ruins sites, entry is allowed. There are several intersections and turns before it leads to a dead end.

The Ball Court. The Mayans were great sportsmen and built huge ballcourts to play their games. The Great Ballcourt of Chichen Itzá is 545 feet long and 225 feet wide overall. It has no vault, no discontinuity between the walls and is totally open to the sky. Each end has a raised "temple" area. A whisper from each end can be heard clearly at the other end 500 feet away and through the length and breath of the court. The sound waves are unaffected by wind direction or time of day/night. Archaeologists engaged in the reconstruction noted that the sound transmission became stronger and clearer as they proceeded. Legends say that the winning captain would present his head to the losing captain, who then decapitated him. While this may seem a strange reward, the Mayans believed this to be the ultimate honor. The winning captain would be getting a direct ticket to heaven instead of going through the 13 steps that the Mayans believed they had to go through in order to reach heaven.