El Caracol - Chichen Itza , Mexico

🇲🇽 Welcome to Mexico!

The Ancient Ruins Collection - Mesoamerica is a dedicated sub-collection to the legacy of past civilizations in parts of what is present-day Mexico and Central America.

This model was designed by Leonardo Almírez . This is available in two versions:

- Hypothetical reconstruction (original model by Leo Almírez)

- Actual, ruined state (modified in Tinkercad by Dany Sánchez from Leo's original) El Caracol ( the snail/conch ) is a peculiar structure in the ancient Mayan city of Chichén Itzá, in Yucatán, southeastern Mexico. It is an astronomical observatory tower with an internal spiral staircase, which gives the building its nickname. It provided a way for the Mayan people to observe changes in the sky. The flat landscape of Yucatan has no mountains or natural markers for this function around Chichén-Itzá, so the observers could view the sky above the vegetation without any obstruction. Of 29 possible astronomical events (eclipses, equinoxes , solstices , etc.) believed to be of interest to the Mesoamerican residents of Chichén Itzá, sight lines for 20 are found in the structure.

A stele (inscribed stone slab) on the upper platform dates it to around CE 906, during the post-classic period of Mesoamerican chronology ( from Wikipedia ).

MiniWorld3D is excited to bring this model to life as a homage to all the people of Mexico. This model was created from scratch by hand and brain in parametric software to ensure printability, using photographs and blueprints to create a beautiful and stylized version of your favorite landmarks. Please give credit, it's all about spreading culture!

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MiniWorld 3D is a collective of 45+ artists creating the best library of 3D printable models of landmarks of the world!

Photo credits: renderings by Artemio García, print photos by Dany Sánchez using SpiderMaker matte PLA frosted almond.

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Printing Tips

Suggested parameters:

For better details, print slow, such as 15 or 20mm/s for outer perimeters. Fine-tune retraction to avoid stringing. Perimeters: 2 Top layers: 3 Infill: as low as 12%

No supports needed, this has been optimized to eliminate all overhangs.