Chichen Itza
Overview
Chichen Itza is a large pre-Columbian city built by the Maya civilization. The archaeological site is located in the municipality of Tinum, in the Mexican state of Yucatan. Chichen Itza was a major focal point in the Northern Maya Lowlands from the Late Classic (c. AD 600–900) through the Terminal Classic (c. AD 800–900) and into the early portion of the Postclassic period (c. AD 900–1200).
History
The site exhibits a multitude of architectural styles, reminiscent of styles seen in central Mexico and of the Puuc and Chenes styles of the Northern Maya lowlands. The presence of central Mexican styles was once thought to have been representative of direct migration or even conquest from central Mexico, but most contemporary interpretations view the presence of these non-Maya styles more as the result of cultural diffusion.
Architecture
Chichen Itza is known for its large-scale monuments, many of which are exceptionally well-preserved. Among these are the Temple of the Warriors, the Ball Court, the El Castillo (or Kukulkan Pyramid), and the El Caracol observatory.
El Castillo
The El Castillo, also known as the Temple of Kukulkan, is a Mesoamerican step-pyramid that dominates the center of the Chichen Itza archaeological site. The pyramid consists of a series of square terraces with stairways up each of the four sides to the temple on top. Sculptures of plumed serpents run down the sides of the northern balustrade. During the spring and autumn equinoxes, the late afternoon sun strikes off the northwest corner of the pyramid and casts a series of triangular shadows against the northwest balustrade, creating the illusion of a feathered serpent "crawling" down the pyramid.
The Great Ball Court
The Great Ball Court is the largest and best preserved ball court in ancient Mesoamerica. It measures 168 by 70 meters (551 by 230 feet). The parallel platforms flanking the main playing area are each 95 meters (312 feet) long. The walls of these platforms stand 8 meters (26 feet) high; set high up in the center of each of these walls are rings carved with intertwined feathered serpents.
El Caracol
El Caracol, the Observatory, is a unique structure at pre-Columbian Maya civilization site of Chichen Itza. El Caracol, which means 'snail' in Spanish, is so named due to the spiral staircase inside the tower. The structure, with its unusual placement on the platform and its round shape (the others are rectangular, in keeping with Maya practice), is theorized to have been a proto-observatory with doors and windows aligned to astronomical events, specifically around the path of Venus as it traverses the heavens.
Archaeological Investigations
Archaeological investigations of Chichen Itza have been ongoing for over a century, with the Carnegie Institution conducting extensive excavations and restorations from 1924 to 1940. More recent projects have been carried out by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and private institutions.
Tourism
Chichen Itza is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico; an estimated 1.4 million tourists visit the ruins every year.