The brave scramble to the top. It takes a mere 365 steps to
reach it, a vertigo-inducing view from the summit of one of the
most well-known Mayan pyramids - El Castillo (the castle) at
Chichen Itza. But it's getting down that is an even more
dizzying prospect. The pitch of the pyramid is so steep that you
can only see a few steps in front of you when you peer downward
from the top. Some visitors are able to descend in an upright
walking fashion, more or less. Others crawl down backward, chest
pressed tight against the steps. And still others choose a
sitting position, coming down step by step on their butts, some
grasping at the rope that's been installed to help unsuspecting
tourists in their descent. The climb isn't for the faint-of-
heart. So, why do so many visitors climb the pyramid? Well,
because it's there. And because climbing to the top of El
Castillo is like climbing to the top of an unknown world - the
world of an ancient civilization that mysteriously disappeared
about 1,000 or so years ago. "The r