Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is a pre-columbian archeological site built by the Maya civilization. As it is also a multitude of architectural styles it is called as the Mexicanized. It is also referred as the sacred city of Itza and it has become the UNESCO’s World Heritage Site.

The Mayan pyramids of Chichen-Itza are very famous all over the world. They are 1500 years old located at 75 miles from Merida. The name Chichen-Itza was derived from Mayan word. The CHI means mouth, the CHEN means well and the ITZA means the tribe.

Chichen Itza is privately owned by the Barbachano family and is maintained by Mexico’s National Institue of Anthropology and History. In ancient time of pre-columbian it was called as Uucyabnal means Seven Great Rulers. The word Chen means well of water. Together it means "At the mouth of the well of the Itza".  It is also referred in the ancient chronicles as the Uucyabnal, which means the "Seven Great Rulers".

According to the American Anthropological Association, the actual ruins of Chichen Itza are federal property, and the site’s stewardship is maintained by the Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History.

Location

Chichen Itza located at 75 miles east of Merida, the Capital Northern Centre of the State of Yucatan, Mexico Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.
Historical Importance

During the Dark Ages, the calendars were invented by the Mexicans and were masters of mathematics. The mysterious temples and pyramids of the Maya have amazing degree of architectural perfection and variety. The stone work is in a spectacular fashion at places such as Palenque, Tikal, Tulum, Chichén Itzá, Copan and Uxmal.

Kukulcan's Jaguar Throne, the interior temple of "El Castillo" Northern Yucatán is arid, and the interior is barren with no above-ground rivers. The two large, natural sink holes, called cenotes provided the plentiful water year round at Chichen, making it attractive for settlement. Of the two cenotes, the "Cenote Sagrado" or the Sacred Cenote, is the more popular. Pre-Columbian Maya sacrificed objects and human beings into the Cenote as a form of worship to the Maya rain god Chaac. American Consul Edward Herbert Thompson dredged the Sacred Cenote and recovered artifacts of gold, jade, pottery, and incense, as well as human remains. There were also signs of human sacrifice.

Chichen Itza became a major regional capitol towards the end of the Late Classic and into the early part of the Terminal Classic. In 987, a Toltec king named Quetzalcoatl came to this region from central Mexico, and made Chichen Itza as his capital. So the art and the architecture from this period reveal an interesting mix of Maya and Toltec styles.

Nearby Attractions

Temple of the Warriors

The Temple of the Warriors complex consists of a large stepped pyramid fronted and flanked by rows of carved columns depicting warriors.

Great Ball Court

There were seven courts identified by archeologists for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame in Chichén, but the Great Ball Court is the most impressive of all.

High Priest's Temple

It is a step-pyramid temple which is a smaller version of El Castillo discovered by early excavator E. H. Thompson.

Las Monjas

It is one of the more notable structures at Chichen Itza and is a complex of Terminal Classic buildings constructed in the Puuc architectural style.

El Caracol

El Caracol is a round building to the north of Las Monjas on a large square platform nicknamed El Caracol or "the snail". It served as an observatory with its doors aligned to view the vernal equinox.

Akab Dzib

Akab Dzib means, in Maya, "The House of Mysterious Writing." It is located to the east of the Caracol.  It was also called as  Wa(k)wak Puh Ak Na, "the flat house with the excessive number of chambers,” and it was the home of the administrator of Chichén Itzá, kokom Yahawal Cho' K’ak’.

Old Chichen

Old Chichen is a collection of structures to the south of the central site and it includes the Initial Series Group, the Phallic Temple, the Platform of the Great Turtle, the Temple of the Owls, and the Temple of the Monkeys.

Caves of Balankanche

Balankanche has a network of caves which are approximately 4 kilometers west of the Chichen Itza archaeological zone. There is a large selection of ancient pottery and idols of Pre-Columbian times available in the caves.