Chichen Itza (pronounced /t?i?'t??n I?'ts??/;[1] From Yucatec Maya: Chi'ch'èen Ìitsha',[2] "at The Mouth Of TheWell Of The Itza") Is A Large Pre-columbian Archaeological Site Built By The Maya Civilization Located In The
Northern Center Of The Yucatán Peninsula, In The Yucatán State, Present-day Mexico.
the Terminal Classic and into the early portion of the Early Postclassic period. The site exhibits a multitude of
architectural styles, from what is called “Mexicanized” and reminiscent of styles seen in central Mexico to the Puuc
style found among the Puuc Maya of the northern 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.
The ruins of Chichen Itza are federal property, and the site’s stewardship is maintained by Mexico’s Instituto
Nacional de Antropología e Historia (National Institute of Anthropology and History, INAH). The land under the
monuments, however, is privately-owned by the Barbachano family.[3]
Contents
• 1 Name and orthography
• 2 History
o 2.1 Ascendancy
? 2.1.1 Political organization
? 2.1.2 Economy
o 2.2 Decline
o 2.3 Spanish arrival
• 3 Site description
o 3.1 Great North Platform
? 3.1.1 El Castillo
? 3.1.2 Great Ball Court
? 3.1.3 Tzompantli
? 3.1.4 Platform of the Eagles and the Jaguars
? 3.1.5 Platform of Venus
? 3.1.6 Sacbe Number One
? 3.1.7 Cenote Sagrado
? 3.1.8 Temple of the Tables
? 3.1.9 Temple of the Warriors
? 3.1.10 Group of a Thousand Columns
? 3.1.11 Steam Bath
? 3.1.12 El Mercado
o 3.2 Ossario Group
? 3.2.1 Ossario
? 3.2.2 Temple of Xtoloc
? 3.2.3 House of the Metates and House of the Mestizas
o 3.3 The Casa Colorada Group
? 3.3.1 Casa Colorada
? 3.3.2 The House of the Deer
o 3.4 Central Group
? 3.4.1 Las Monjas
? 3.4.2 El Caracol
? 3.4.3 Akab Dzib
o 3.5 Old Chichen
? 3.5.1 Other structures
• 4 Caves of Balankanche
• 5 Archaeological investigations
• 6 Tourism
Name and orthographyFeathered Serpent, bottom of "El Castillo" staircase
The Maya name "Chich'en Itza" means "At the mouth of the well of the Itza." This derives from chi', meaning
"mouth" or "edge", and ch'e'en, meaning "well." Itzá is the name of an ethnic-lineage group that gained political
and economic dominance of the northern peninsula. The name is believed to derive from the Maya itz, meaning
"magic," and (h)á, meaning "water." Itzá in Spanish is often translated as "Brujas del Agua (Witches of Water)"
but a more precise translation would be Magicians of Water.[citation needed]
The name is often represented as Chichén Itzá in Spanish and when translated into other languages from Spanish
to show that both parts of the name are stressed on their final syllables. Other references prefer to employ a more
rigorous orthography in which the word is written according to Maya language, using Chich'en Itzá (pronounced
[t?it?'en itsá?]. This form preserves the phonemic distinction between ch' and ch, since the base word ch'e'en
(which, however, does have a neutral tone vowel "e" in Maya and is not accented or stressed in Maya) begins
with a glottalized affricate. The word "Itzá'" has a high rise final "a" that is followed by a glottal stop (indicated by
the apostrophe).
There is evidence in the Chilam Balam books that there was another, earlier name for this city prior to the arrival
of the Itza hegemony in northern Yucatán. This name is difficult to define because of the absence of a single
standard of orthography, but it is represented variously as Uuc Yabnal,[4] Uuc Hab Nal,[5] or Uc Abnal.[6] While
most sources agree the first word means seven, there is considerable debate as to the correct translation of the
rest. Among the translations suggested are “Seven Bushes,” “Seven Great Houses,” or “Seven Lines of Abnal.”
History
Cenote Sagrado
Northern Yucatán is arid, and the rivers in the interior all run underground. There are two large, natural sink holes,
called cenotes, that could have provided plentiful water year round at Chichen, making it attractive for settlement. Of
the two cenotes, the "Cenote Sagrado" or Sacred Cenote (also variously known as the Sacred Well or Well of
Sacrifice), is the most famous. According to post-Conquest sources (Maya and Spanish), pre-Columbian Maya
sacrificed objects and human beings into the cenote as a form of worship to the Maya rain god Chaac. Edward
Herbert Thompson dredged the Cenote Sagrado from 1904 to 1910, and recovered artifacts of gold, jade, pottery,
and incense, as well as human remains.[7] A recent study of human remains taken from the Cenote Sagrado
found that they had wounds consistent with human sacrifice.[8]
Kukulcan's Jaguar Throne, interior temple of "El Castillo"Ascendancy
Chichen Itza rose to regional prominence towards the end of the Early Classic period (roughly 600 AD). It was,
however, towards the end of the Late Classic and into the early part of the Terminal Classic that the site became
a major regional capital, centralizing and dominating political, sociocultural, economic, and ideological life in the
northern Maya lowlands. The ascension of Chichen Itza roughly correlates with the decline and fragmentation of the
major centers of the southern Maya lowlands, such as Tikal.
Some ethnohistoric sources claim that in about 987 a Toltec king named Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl arrived here
with an army from central Mexico, and (with local Maya allies) made Chichen Itza his capital, and a second Tula.
The art and architecture from this period shows an interesting mix of Maya and Toltec styles. However, the recent
re-dating of Chichen Itza's decline (see below) indicates that Chichen Itza is largely a Late/Terminal Classic site,
while Tula remains an Early Postclassic site (thus reversing the direction of possible influence).
Political organization
Columns in the Temple of a Thousand Warriors
Several archaeologists in late 1980s suggested that unlike previous Maya polities of the Early Classic, Chichen Itza
may not have been governed by an individual ruler or a single dynastic lineage. Instead, the city’s political
organization could have been structured by a "multepal" system, which is characterized as rulership through council
composed of members of elite ruling lineages.[9] This theory was popular in the 1990s, but in recent years, the
research that supported the concept of the "multepal" system has been called into question, if not discredited. The
current belief trend in Maya scholarship is toward the more traditional model of the Maya kingdoms of the Classic
southern lowlands.[10]
EconomyChichen Itza was a major economic power in the northern Maya lowlands during its apogee. Participating in the
water-borne circum-peninsular trade route through its port site of Isla Cerritos, Chichen Itza was able to obtain
locally unavailable resources from distant areas such as central Mexico (obsidian) and southern Central America
(gold).
Decline
According to Maya chronicles (e.g., the Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel), Hunac Ceel, ruler of Mayapan,
conquered Chichen Itza in the 13th century. Hunac Ceel supposedly prophecized his own rise to power. According to
custom at the time, individuals thrown into the Cenote Sagrado were believed to have the power of prophecy if they
survived. During one such ceremony, the chronicles state, there were no survivors, so Hunac Ceel leaped into the
Cenote Sagrado, and when removed, prophecized his own ascension.
While there is some archaeological evidence that indicates Chichén Itzá was at one time looted and sacked,[11]
there appears to be greater evidence that it could not have been by Mayapan, at least not when Chichén Itzá was
an active urban center. Archaeological data now indicates that Chichen Itza fell by around AD 1000, some two
centuries before the rise of Mayapan.[12] Ongoing research at the site of Mayapan may help resolve this
chronological conundrum.
While Chichén Itzá “collapsed” (meaning elite activities ceased and the site rapidly depopulated) it does not appear
to have been completely abandoned. According to post-Conquest sources, both Spanish and Maya, the Cenote
Sagrado remained a place of pilgrimage.
Spanish arrival
: Spanish conquest of Yucatán
In 1526 Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Montejo (a veteran of the Grijalva and Cortés expeditions) successfully
petitioned the King of Spain for a charter to conquer Yucatán. His first campaign in 1527, which covered much of
the Yucatán peninsula, decimated his forces but ended with the establishment of a small fort at Xaman Ha', south
of what is today Cancún. Montejo returned to Yucatán in 1531 with reinforcements and took Campeche on the west
coast. He sent his son, Francisco Montejo The Younger, in late 1532 to conquer the interior of the Yucatán
Peninsula from the north. The objective from the beginning was to go to Chichén Itzá and establish a capital.[13]
Montejo the Younger eventually arrived at Chichen Itza, which he renamed Ciudad Real. At first he encountered no
resistance, and set about dividing the lands around the city and awarding them to his soldiers. The Maya became
more hostile over time, and eventually they laid siege to the Spanish, cutting off their supply line to the coast, and
forcing them to barricade themselves among the ruins of ancient city. Months passed, but no reinforcements arrived.
Montejo the Younger attempted an all out assault against the Maya and lost 150 of his remaining forces. He wasforced to abandon Chichén Itzá in 1534 under cover of darkness. By 1535, all Spanish had been driven from the
Yucatán Peninsula.[14]
Montejo eventually returned to Yucatán and conquered the peninsula. The Spanish crown later issued a land grant
that included Chichen Itza and by 1588 it was a working cattle ranch.[15]
Site description
The site[16] contains many fine stone buildings in various states of preservation, and many have been restored. The
buildings are connected by a dense network of formerly paved roads, called sacbeob.[17] Archaeologists have found
almost 100 sacbeob criss-crossing the site, and extending in all directions from the city.[18]
The buildings of Chichén Itza are grouped in a series of architectonic sets, and each set was at one time
separated from the other by a series of low walls. The three best known of these complexes are the Great North
Platform, which includes the monuments of El Castillo, Temple of Warriors and the Great Ball Court; The Ossario
Group, which includes the pyramid of the same name as well as the Temple of Xtoloc; and the Central Group,
which includes the Caracol, Las Monjas, and Akab Dzib.
South of Las Monjas, in an area known as Chichén Viejo (Old Chichén) and only open to archaeologists, are
several other complexes, such as the Group of the Initial Series, Group of the Lintels, and Group of the Old
Castle.
Great North Platform
El Castillo
Main article: El Castillo, Chichen Itza
Dominating the center of Chichén is the Temple of Kukulkan (the Maya name for Quetzalcoatl), often referred to
as "El Castillo" (the castle). This step pyramid has a ground plan of square terraces with stairways up each of
the four sides to the temple on top. On the Spring and Autumn equinox, at the rising and setting of the sun, the
corner of the structure casts a shadow in the shape of a plumed serpent - Kukulcan, or Quetzalcoatl - along the
west side of the north staircase. On these two annual occasions, the shadows from the corner tiers slither down the
northern side of the pyramid with the sun's movement to the serpent's head at the base.
Mesoamerican cultures periodically built larger pyramids atop older ones, and this is one such example. In the mid
1930s, the Mexican government sponsored an excavation of El Castillo. After several false starts, they discovered a
staircase under the north side of the pyramid. By digging from the top, they found another temple buried below the
current one. Inside the temple chamber was a Chac Mool statue and a throne in the shape of Jaguar, painted red
and with spots made of inlaid jade.
The Mexican government excavated a tunnel from the base of the north staircase, up the earlier pyramid’s stairwayto the hidden temple, and opened it to tourists. In 2006, INAH closed the throne room to the public.
Great Ball Court
Archaeologists have identified several courts for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame in Chichén, but the Great Ball
Court about 150 metres (490 ft) to the north-west of the Castillo is by far the most impressive. It is the largest
ball court in ancient Mesoamerica. It measures 166 by 68 metres (540 ft × 220 ft). The imposing walls are 12
metres (39 ft) high, and in the center, high up on each of the long walls, are rings carved with intertwining
serpents.[19]
At the base of the high interior walls are slanted benches with sculpted panels of teams of ball players. In one
panel, one of the players has been decapitated and from the wound emits seven streams of blood; six become
wriggling serpents and the center becomes a winding plant.
At one end of the Great Ball Court is the North Temple, popularly called the Temple of the Bearded Man. This
small masonry building has detailed bas relief carving on the inner walls, including a center figure that has carving
under his chin that resembles facial hair.[20] At the south end is another, much bigger temple, but in ruins.
Built into the east wall are the Temples of the Jaguar. The Upper Temple of the Jaguar overlooks the ball court
and has an entrance guarded by two, large columns carved in the familiar feathered serpent motif. Inside there is a
large mural, much destroyed, which depicts a battle scene.
In the entrance to the Lower Temple of the Jaguar, which opens behind the ball court, is another Jaguar throne,
similar to the one in the inner temple of El Castillo, except that it is well worn and missing paint or other
decoration. The outer columns and the walls inside the temple are covered with elaborate bas-relief carvings.
Tzompantli
Of all the monuments, the Tzompantli is the closest to what one would find in the Mexican Plateau. This monument,
a low, flat platform, is surrounded with carved depictions of human skulls.
Platform of the Eagles and the JaguarsNext to El Castillo are a series of platforms. The Platform of the Eagles and the Jaguars is built in a combination
Maya and Toltec styles. Each side has a staircase to the top. Carved into the sides are panels depicting Harpy
Eagles[21] and Jaguars consuming what appear to be human hearts.
Platform of Venus
This platform is dedicated to the planet Venus. In its interior archaeologists discovered a collection of large cones
carved out of stone, the purpose of which is unknown. This platform is placed between El Castillo and the Cenote
Sagrado.
Sacbe Number One
This sacbe, which leads to the Cenote Sagrado, is the largest and most elaborate at Chichen Itza. This “white
road” is 270 metres (890 ft) long with an average width of 9 metres (30 ft). It begins at a low wall a few
metres from the Platform of Venus. According to archaeologists there once was an extensive building with columns
at the beginning of the road.
Cenote Sagrado
Main article: Sacred Cenote
The Yucatán Peninsula is a limestone plain, with no rivers or streams. The region is pockmarked with natural
sinkholes, called cenotes, which expose the water table to the surface. One of the most impressive is the Cenote
Sagrado, which is 60 metres (200 ft) in diameter, and sheer cliffs that drop to the water table some 27 metres
(89 ft) below.
The Cenote Sagrado was a place of pilgrimage for ancient Maya people who, according to ethnohistoric sources,
would conduct sacrifices during times of drought. Archaeological investigations support this as thousands of objects
have been removed from the bottom of the cenote, including material such as gold, jade, obsidian, shell, wood,
cloth, as well as skeletons of children and men.
Temple of the TablesTo the east of El Castillo are a series of buildings, the northernmost is the Temple of the Tables. Its name comes
from a series of altars at the top of the structure that are supported by small carved figures of men with upraised
arms, called “atlantes.”
Detail of Temple of the Warriors showing Chac Mool
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. This complex is analogous to Temple B at the Toltec capital of Tula, and indicates some
form of cultural contact between the two regions. The one at Chichen Itza, however, was constructed on a larger
scale. At the top of the stairway on the pyramid’s summit (and leading towards the entrance of the pyramid’s
temple) is a Chac Mool. This temple encases or entombs a former structure called The Temple of the Chac Mool.
The archeological expedition and restoration of this building was done by the Carnegie Institute of Washington from
1925-1928. A key member of this restoration was Earl H. Morris who published the work from this expedition in
two volumes entitled Temple of the Warriors.
Group of a Thousand Columns
Along the south wall of the Temple of Warriors are a series of what are today exposed columns, although when the
city was inhabited these would have supported an extensive roof system. The columns are in three distinct sections:
an east group, that extends the lines of the front of the Temple of Warriors; a north group, which runs along the
south wall of the Temple of Warriors and contains pillars with carvings of soldiers in bas-relief; and a northeast
group, which was apparently formed a small temple at the southeast corner of the Temple of Warriors, which
contains a rectangular decorated with carvings of people or gods, as well as animals and serpents. The northeast
column temple also covers a small marvel of engineering, a channel that funnels all the rainwater from the complex
some 40 metres (130 ft) away to a rejollada, a former cenote.
To the south of the Group of a Thousand Columns is a group of three, smaller, interconnected buildings. The
Temple of the Carved Columns is a small elegant building that consists of a front gallery with an inner corridor that
leads to an altar with a Chac Mool. There are also numerous columns with rich, bas-relief carvings of some 40
personages. The Temple of the Small Tables which has an exterior motif of x’s and o’s. And the Palace of Ahau
Balam Kauil (also known as Thompson’s Temple), a small building with two levels that has friezes depicting
Jaguars (balam in Maya) as well as glyphs of the Maya god Kahuil.
Steam Bath
This unique building has three parts: a waiting gallery, a water bath, and a steam chamber that operated by means
of heated stones.
El Mercado
This square structure anchors the southern end of the Temple of Warriors complex. It is so named for the shelf of
stone that surrounds a large gallery and patio that early explorers theorized was used to display wares as in a
marketplace. Today, archaeologists believe that its purpose was more ceremonial than commerce.
Ossario Group
South of the North Group is a smaller platform that has many important structures, several of which appear to be
oriented toward the second largest cenote at Chichen Itza, Xtoloc.
Ossario
Like El Castillo, this step-pyramid temple dominates the platform, only on a smaller scale. Like its larger neighbor, it
has four sides with staircases on each side. There is a temple on top, but unlike El Castillo, at the center is an
opening into the pyramid which leads to a natural cave 12 metres (39 ft) below. Edward H. Thompson excavated
this cave in the late 1800s, and because he found several skeletons and artifacts such as jade beads, he named
the structure The High Priests' Temple. Archaeologists today believe neither that the structure was a tomb nor that
the personages buried in it were priests.
Temple of XtolocOutside the Ossario Platform is this recently restored temple which overlooks the other large cenote at Chichen Itza,
named after the Maya word for iguana, "Xtoloc." The temple contains a series of pilasters carved with images of
people, as well as representations of plants, birds and mythological scenes.
Between the Xtoloc temple and the Ossario are several aligned structures: Platform of Venus (which is similar in
design to the structure of the same name next to El Castillo), Platform of the Tombs, and a small, round structure
that is unnamed. These three structures were constructed in a row extending from the Ossario. Beyond them the
Ossario platform terminates in a wall, which contains an opening to a sacbe that runs several hundred feet to the
Xtoloc temple.
House of the Metates and House of the Mestizas
South of the Ossario, at the boundary of the platform, there are two small buildings that archaeologists believe were
residences for important personages.
The Casa Colorada Group
South of the Ossario Group is another small platform that has several structures that are among the oldest in the
Chichen Itza archaeological zone.
Casa Colorada
The Casa Colorada, which is Spanish for Red House, is one of the best preserved buildings at Chichen Itza. It also
has a Maya name, Chichanchob, which according to INAH may mean "small holes." In one chamber there are
extensive carved hieroglyphs that mention rulers of Chichen Itza and possibly of the nearby city of Ek Balam, and
contain a Maya date inscribed which correlates to 869 a.d.e., one of the oldest such dates found in all of Chichen
Itza.
In 2009, INAH restored a small ball court that adjoined the back wall of the Casa Colorada.[22]
The House of the Deer
While the Casa Colorada is in a good state of preservation, other buildings in the group, with one exception, are
decrepit mounds. One building is half standing, named Casa del Venado (House of the Deer). The origin of the
name is unknown, as there are no representations of deer or other animals on the building.
Central Group
Las Monjas
One of the more notable structures at Chichen Itza is a complex of Terminal Classic buildings constructed in the
Puuc architectural style. The Spanish nicknamed this complex Las Monjas ("The Nuns" or "The Nunnery") but was
actually a governmental palace. Just to the east is a small temple (nicknamed La Iglesia, "The Church") decorated
with elaborate masks of the rain god Chaac.
El Caracol
Main article: El Caracol, Chichen Itza
To the north of Las Monjas is a cockeyed, round building on a large square platform. It's nicknamed El Caracol
("the snail") because of the stone spiral staircase inside. 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.[23]
Akab Dzib
Main article: Akab Dzib
Located to the east of the Caracol, Akab Dzib means, in Maya, "Dark (in the "Mysterious" sense) Writing." An
earlier name of the building, according to a translation of glyphs in the Casa Colorada, is 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’.[24] INAH completed a restoration of the building in 2007. It is relatively short, only 6
metres (20 ft) high, and is 50 metres (160 ft) in length and 15 metres (49 ft) wide. The long, western-facing
facade has seven doorways. The eastern facade has only four doorways, broken by a large staircase that leads to
the roof. This apparently was the front of the structure, and looks out over what is today a steep, but dry, cenote.
The southern end of the building has one entrance. The door opens into a small chamber and on the opposite wall
is another doorway, above which on the lintel are intricately carved glyphs—the “mysterious” or “obscure” writing
that gives the building its name today. Under the lintel in the door jamb is another carved panel of a seated figure
surrounded by more glyphs. Inside one of the chambers, near the ceiling, is a painted hand print.
Old Chichen"Old Chichen" is the nickname for a group of structures to the south of the central site. 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.
Other structures
Chichen Itza also has a variety of other structures densely packed in the ceremonial center of about 5 square
kilometres (1.9 sq mi) and several outlying subsidiary sites.
Caves of Balankanche
Approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) west of the Chichen Itza archaeological zone are a network of sacred caves known
as Balankanche (Spanish: Gruta de Balankanche), Balamka'anche' in Modern Maya). In the caves, a large
selection of ancient pottery and idols may be seen still in the positions where they were left in pre-Columbian
times.
The location of the cave has been well known in modern times. Edward Thompson and Alfred Tozzer visited it in
1905. A.S. Pearse and a team of biologists explored the cave in 1932 and 1936. E. Wyllys Andrews IV also
explored the cave in the 1930s. Edwin Shook and R.E. Smith explored the cave on behalf of the Carnegie
Institution in 1954, and dug several trenches to recover potsherds and other artifacts. Shook determined that the
cave had been inhabited over a long period, at least from the Preclassic to the post-conquest era.[25]
On 15 September 1959, José Humberto Gómez, a local guide, discovered a false wall in the cave. Behind it he
found an extended network of caves with significant quantities of undisturbed archaeological remains, including pottery
and stone-carved censers, stone implements and jewelry. INAH converted the cave into an underground museum,
and the objects after being catalogued were returned to their original place so visitors can see them in situ.[26]
Archaeological investigations
Chichen Itza entered the popular imagination in 1843 with the book Incidents of Travel in Yucatan by John Lloyd
Stephens (with illustrations by Frederick Catherwood). The book recounted Stephens’ visit to Yucatán and his tour
of Maya cities, including Chichén Itzá. The book prompted other explorations of the city. In 1860, Desire Charnay
surveyed Chichén Itzá and took numerous photographs that he published in Cités et ruines américaines (1863).
In 1875, Augustus Le Plongeon and his wife Alice Dixon Le Plongeon visited Chichén, and excavated a statue of a
figure on its back, knees drawn up, upper torso raised on its elbows with a plate on its stomach. Augustus Le
Plongeon called it “Chaacmol” (later renamed “Chac Mool,” which has been the term to describe all types of this
statuary found in Mesoamerica). Teobert Maler and Alfred Maudslay explored Chichén in the 1880s and both spent
several weeks at the site and took extensive photographs. Maudslay published the first long-form description of
Chichen Itza in his book, Biologia Centrali-Americana.
In 1894 the United States Consul to Yucatán, Edward H. Thompson purchased the Hacienda Chichén, which included
the ruins of Chichen Itza. For 30 years, Thompson explored the ancient city. His discoveries included the earliest
dated carving upon a lintel in the Temple of the Initial Series and the excavation of several graves in the Ossario
(High Priest’s Temple). Thompson is most famous for dredging the Cenote Sagrado (Sacred Cenote) from 1904
to 1910, where he recovered artifacts of gold, copper and carved jade, as well as the first-ever examples of what
were believed to be pre-Columbian Maya cloth and wooden weapons. Thompson shipped the bulk of the artifacts to
the Peabody Museum at Harvard University.
In 1913, archaeologist Sylvanus G. Morley persuaded the Carnegie Institution to fund an extensive archaeological
project at Chichen Itza, which included mapping the ruins and restoring several of the monuments. The Mexican
Revolution and the following government instability prevented the Carnegie from beginning work until 1924. Over the
course of 10 years, the Carnegie researchers excavated and restored the Temple of Warriors and the Caracol. At
the same time, the Mexican government excavated and restored El Castillo and the Great Ball Court.
Excavations next to El Castillo began in 2009In 1926, the Mexican government charged Edward Thompson with theft, claiming he stole the artifacts from the
Cenote Sagrado and smuggled them out of the country. The government seized the Hacienda Chichén. Thompson,
who was in the United States at the time, never returned to Yucatán. He wrote about his research and
investigations of the Maya culture in a book People of the Serpent published in 1932. He died in New Jersey in
1935. In 1944 the Mexican Supreme Court ruled that Thompson had broken no laws and returned Chichen Itza to
his heirs. The Thompsons sold the hacienda to tourism pioneer Fernando Barbachano Peon, and his heirs own the
property today.[27]
There have been two later expeditions to recover artifacts from the Cenote Sagrado, in 1961 and 1967. The first
was sponsored by the National Geographic, and the second by private interests. Both projects were supervised by
Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH). INAH has conducted an ongoing effort to excavate
and restore other monuments in the archaeological zone, including the Ossario, Akab D’zib, and several buildings in
Chichén Viejo (Old Chichen).
In 2009, to investigate construction that predated El Castillo, archaeologists began excavations adjacent to El Castillo.
Tourism
Tourism has been a factor at Chichen Itza for more than a century. John Lloyd Stephens, who popularized the
Maya Yucatán in the public’s imagination with his book Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, inspired many to make a
pilgrimage to Chichén Itzá. Even before the book was published, Benjamin Norman and Baron Emanuel von
Friedrichsthal traveled to Chichen after meeting Stephens, and both published the results of what they found.
Friedrichsthal was the first to photograph Chichen Itza, using the recently invented daguerreotype.[28]
After Edward Thompson in 1894 purchased the Hacienda Chichén, which included Chichen Itza, he received a
constant stream of visitors. In 1910 he announced his intention to construct a hotel on his property, but abandoned
those plans, probably because of the Mexican Revolution.
In the early 1920s, a group of Yucatecans, led by writer/photographer Francisco Gomez Rul, began working toward
expanding tourism to Yucatán. They urged Governor Felipe Carrillo Puerto to build roads to the more famous
monuments, including Chichen Itza. In 1923, Governor Carrillo Puerto officially opened the highway to Chichen Itza.
Gomez Rul published one of the first guidebooks to Yucatán and the ruins.
Gomez Rul's son-in-law, Fernando Barbachano Peon (a grandnephew of former Yucatán Governor Miguel
Barbachano), started Yucatán’s first official tourism business in the early 1920s. He began by meeting passengers
that arrived by steamship to Progreso, the port north of Merida, and persuading them to spend a week in Yucatán,
after which they would catch the next steamship to their next destination. In his first year Barbachano Peon
reportedly was only able to convince seven passengers to leave the ship and join him on a tour. In the mid-1920s
Barbachano Peon persuaded Edward Thompson to sell 5 acres (20,000 m2) next to Chichen for a hotel. In
1930, the Mayaland Hotel opened, just north of the Hacienda Chichén, which had been taken over by the Carnegie
Institution.[29]
In 1944, Barbachano Peon purchased all of the Hacienda Chichén, including Chichen Itza, from the heirs of Edward
Thompson.[27] Around that same time the Carnegie Institution completed its work at Chichen Itza and abandoned
the Hacienda Chichén, which Barbachano turned into another seasonal hotel.
In 1972, Mexico enacted the Ley Federal Sobre Monumentos y Zonas Arqueológicas, Artísticas e Históricas (Federal
Law over Monuments and Archeological, Artistic and Historic Sites) that put all the nation's pre-Columbian
monuments, including those at Chichen Itza, under federal ownership.[30] There were now hundreds, if not
thousands, of visitors every year to Chichen Itza, and more were expected with the development of the Cancún
resort area to the east.
Serpent visible during the spring equinox
In the 1980s, Chichen Itza began to receive an influx of visitors on the day of the spring equinox. Today several
thousand show up to see the light-and-shadow effect on the Temple of Kukulcan in which the feathered serpent
god supposedly can be seen to crawl down the side of the pyramid.[31]
Chichen Itza, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the second-most visited of Mexico's archaeological sites.[32] The
archaeological site draws many visitors from the popular tourist resort of Cancún, who make a day trip on tour
buses. In 2007, Chichen Itza's El Castillo was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World after a
worldwide vote. Despite the fact that the vote was sponsored by a commercial enterprise, and that its methodology
was criticized, the vote was embraced by government and tourism officials in Mexico who project that as a result of
the publicity the number of tourists expected to visit Chichen will double by 2012.[33] The ensuing publicity
re-ignited debate in Mexico over the ownership of the site, with some representatives of the government such as
the secretary of the parliamentary culture committee, Jose Alfonso Suarez del Real, calling for the land to be put in
public ownership, by expropriation if necessary.[34]
Over the past several years, INAH, which manages the site, has been closing monuments to public access. While
visitors can walk around them, they can no longer climb them or go inside their chambers. The most recent was El
Castillo, which was closed after a San Diego, Calif., woman fell to her death in 2006.[35]
While the earliest archaeological artifacts thus far found at Chichen Itza date from AD 1 to 250, it is probable thatthe site was settled at a far earlier time. Proto-Mayan tribes had inhabited the flat limestone plateau that makes up
much of the Yucatan peninsula for at least 8000 years. These nomadic peoples would certainly have discovered the
enormous natural well, called a cenote, next to which the city of Chichen Itza later grew. As a Maya social center,
Chichen Itza began its rise to prominence with the arrival of a seafaring people in the eighth century. Called the
Itza by archaeologists, these merchant warriors first colonized the northern coastal areas of the Yucatan peninsula
and then ventured inland. After their conquest of the holy city of Izamal, the Itza settled at the great cenote, then
known as Wuk Yabnal, meaning "Abundance Place". Their city became known as Chichen Itza, which means "Mouth
of the Well of the Itza". From this site, the Itza Maya rapidly became the rulers of much of the Yucatan peninsula.
Writing of Chichen Itza, Mayan scholars Linda Schele and David Freidel tell us that:
"After over a thousand years of success, most of the kingdoms of the southern lowlands collapsed in the ninth
century. In the wake of this upheaval, the Maya of the northern lowlands tried a different style of government. They
centered their world around a single capital at Chichen Itza. Not quite ruler of an empire, Chichen Itza became, for
a time, first among the many allied cities of the north and the pivot of the lowland Maya world. It also differed
from the royal cities before it, for it had a council of many lords rather than one ruler."
Previous to the research of Schele and Freidel, the scholarly interpretation of the history of Chichen Itza held that
the city was occupied several times by various groups of people, beginning with the Maya and ending with Toltec
invaders from the city of Tula in central Mexico. While numerous archaeology and history books still ascribe to this
interpretation, it is now known that the Maya occupied Chichen Itza continuously. The Toltec influences found in the
art and architecture of certain areas of the great city were the result of the patronage of a cosmopolitan nobility
involved in trade with the Tula Toltecs and other Mesoamerican peoples.
The Temple of Kukulkan, the Feathered Serpent God (also known as Quetzalcoatl to the Aztecs) is the largest and
most important ceremonial structure at Chichen Itza. This ninety-foot tall pyramid was built during the eleventh to
thirteenth centuries directly upon the multiple foundations of previous temples. The architecture of the pyramid
encodes precise information regarding the Mayan calendar. Each face of the four-sided structure has a stairway with
ninety-one steps, which together with the shared step of the platform at the top, add up to 365, the number of
days in a year. These stairways also divide the nine terraces of each side of the pyramid into eighteen segments,
representing the eighteen months of the Mayan calendar. The pyramid is also directionally oriented to mark the
solstices and equinoxes. The axes that run through the northwest and southwest corners of the pyramid are oriented
toward the rising point of the sun at the summer solstice and its setting point at the winter solstice. The northern
stairway was the principal sacred path leading to the summit. At sunset on the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, an
interplay between the sun's light and the edges of the stepped terraces on the pyramid creates a fascinating - and
very brief - shadow display upon the sides of the northern stairway. A serrated line of seven interlocking triangles
gives the impression of a long tail leading downward to the stone head of the serpent Kukulkan, at the base of the
stairway. Adjacent to the head of Kukulkan, a doorway leads to an interior staircase ending at a small and very
mysterious shrine.
According to Maya scholars Linda Schele and David Friedel, the massive pyramidal temples found at Chichen Itza,Uxmal, Palenque and many other major Maya sites were symbolic sacred mountains. Writing in A Forest of Kings:
The Untold Story of the Ancient Maya, Schele and Freidel explain that:
"To the Maya, the world was alive and imbued with a sacredness that was especially concentrated at special points,
like caves and mountains. The principal pattern of power points had been established by the gods when the cosmos
was created. Within this matrix of sacred landscape, human beings built communities that both merged with the
god-generated patterns and created a second human-made matrix of power points. The two systems were perceived
to be complementary, not separate....The world of human beings was connected to the Otherworld along the wacah
chan axis which ran through the center of existence. This axis was not located in any one earthly place, but could
be materialized through ritual at any point in the natural and human-made landscape. Most important, it was
materialized in the person of the king, who brought it into existence as he stood enthralled in ecstatic visions atop
his pyramid-mountain....When new buildings were to be constructed, the Maya performed elaborate rituals both to
terminate the old structure and contain its accumulated energy. The new structure was then built atop the old and,
when it was ready for use, they conducted elaborate dedication rituals to bring it alive....So powerful were the
effects of these rituals that the objects, people, buildings, and places in the landscape in which the supernatural
materialized accumulated energy and became more sacred with repeated use. Thus, as kings built and rebuilt
temples on the same spot over centuries, the sanctums within them became ever more sacred. The devotion and
ecstasy of successive divine kings sacrificing within those sanctums rendered the membrane between this world and
the Otherworld ever more thin and pliable. The ancestors and the gods passed through such portals into the living
monarch with increasing facility. To enhance this effect, generations of kings replicated the iconography and sculptural
programs of early buildings through successive temples built over the same nexus....As the Maya exploited the
patterns of power in time and space, they used ritual to control the dangerous and powerful energies they released.
There were rituals which contained the accumulated power of objects, people, and places when they were no longer
in active use. And conversely, when the community became convinced that the power was gone from their city and
ruling dynasties, they just walked away."
Recent studies at Chichen Itza by archaeoastronomers have revealed that other structures, besides the Pyramid of
Kukulkan, have significant astronomical alignments. For example, windows in the unique circular building known as the
Caracol were positioned to be in alignment with key positions of the planet Venus, particularly its southern and
northern horizon extremes. Another fascinating, though seldom discussed, mystery at Chichen Itza concerns the
strange acoustic anomalies observable at the great ball court and the temple of Kukulkan. Words softly whispered at
one end of the great ball court (measuring 545 feet long by 225 feet wide) are clearly audible all the way at the
other end and a single clap or shout sounded in the center of the ball court will produce nine distinct echoes.
Visitors have also commented on a curious acoustic phenomenon at the pyramid of Kukulkan where the sound of a
hand clap is echoed back as the chirping sound of the Quetzal bird, the sacred bird associated with both the name
of the pyramid and its deity Kukulkan/Quetzalcoatl.
About Chichen Itza
This is Mexico's most extensively restored archaeological park and the ancient city of Chichen Itza (with the accent
the latter part of each word) is one of the most awe-inspiring archaeological places you are likely to visit.
Stay Overnight at a Hotel in Chichen Itza!
Chichen Itza is a big tour-bus destination. If you want to miss the crowds and get the most out a visit to this
spectacular archaeological park, stay for a night at one of the hotels situated next to the archaeological park. It's by
far the best way to experience Chichen Itza.
• Chichen Itza Hotels
The site takes up about 4 square miles and it will take you all day to see it properly. The temples are laid out in
such a fashion that they represent time - like an enormous calendar.
Much of the Mayan and Toltec cultures are still a mystery. There is disagreement between scholars over how the
Mayas arrived here and their relationships and interactions with the Toltecs. This doesn't take away from the
immense feeling of size and greatness of this location; even when it is full with tourists, there is so much space
that you can feel quite relaxed wandering around the temples.
Guides will take you on a tour and explain the history of the site and the Maya. Keep in mind the note above
about the mystery and enigma which surrounds this place: some guides may be dressing up some of the detail for
you.
This region of Mexico gets extremely hot during the peak daytime hours of noon until around 4 pm. Staying at a
hotel nearby and starting your tour of the site early in the morning will significantly enhance your experience of
Chichen Itza.
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Key Attractions
Chichen Itza has a wealth of features that will take you all day to experience properly. Listed here are a few of
the highlights; consult a guide book for further details.
As you enter the site, your first glance will be towards the Piramide de Kukulkan, or Castillo (Castle) This pyramid
has 365 steps, 52 panels and 18 terraces. If you visit during the spring or autumn equinox (March 21st and
September 21st) you'll be in for a special treat: The sun's light touches the steps on the northern side - creating
the shadow of a "moving serpent" which glides up the pyramid as the sun moves through the sky.
Juego de Pelota Principal (Principal Ball Court) is the main one of eight ball courts, and the largest games court
in all of Mexico's archaeological sites. Here, you will see the famous stone hoops. It is believed that contestants of
pelota (ball) needed to get a stone ball through them during the game.
To the southeast, you'll find the Templo de los Jaguares (Temple of the Jaguars) on which you'll see carved
rattlesnakes and jaguars. The murals inside depict an ancient battle.
Tzompantli - Toltec meaning "Temple of Skulls" - is in between the Temple of Jaguars and the Castle. It was here
where heads of those sacrificed were displayed for the gods.
El Caracol- ("The Snail" - named because of its circular structure and staircase) is actually an ancient
observatory. This structure is an example of how the Maya were obsessed with time and astronomy. This building
developed over time and was used by astronomers to accurately measure and record important days in the
astronomical calendar, such as the spring and autumn equinox and the solstice.
Chichen Viejo - Literally meaning "old Chichen", is the oldest part of the city has some interesting structures which
date to the pre-Toltec times. If you stay at the Mayaland Hotel, you can also arrange for a horseback tour through
Chichen Viejo.
The Sounds and Lights Show is worth staying for; it starts at 8 pm (later in the summer months); the admission
fee is included in the price of your entrance ticket to the site.
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Getting There & Around
By Air - The closest airports to Chichen Itza are Cancun or Merida. Many travelers to Cancun take a day trip
here, although there are some good hotels nearby and if you stay overnight in the area, you'll see more and enjoy
a better experience of the site and area surrounding it.
Buses - Depart frequently from Cancun and Merida to Chichen Itza, most often as part of organized tours to the
ancient city.
By Car - You can take Highway 180 west from Cancun to get to Chichen Itza. Also see additional information
about Driving in Mexico and Mexico's Toll Roads on Mexperience.
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Practical Information
Opening Days & Times: 7 Days a week; 8 am to 5 pm. Admission used to be free for everybody on Sundays,
but this rule was changed in February 2003; now only Mexican Citizens and foreign residents (with proof of
residency) can enter free. All children under 13 and those over 60 can still enter free of charge.
Better Overnight: Chichen Itza is a big tour-bus destination. Since it was nominated as a 'New Wonder of the
World' in 2007, the center has become extremely busy during the daytime. If you want to miss the crowds and get
the most out a visit to this spectacular archaeological park, stay for a night at one of the hotels situated next to
the archaeological park. It's by far the best way to experience Chichen Itza. Find a Hotel in Chichen Itza.
Travel Insurance: We recommend that you are adequately covered with travel medical cover and/or travel assistance
cover when you are visiting Mexico. Read the Mexperience guide to Travel Insurance in Mexico for full details and
links to specialist insurance suppliers.
Photography & Video: A permit is required if you want to use a tripod to take photographs at the archaeological
site. A small fee is made for the use of hand-held video equipment. Read the section on Mexperience Travel
Essentials about Video & Photography at archaeological sites in Mexico.
Ideal Clothing & Footwear: You'll need a good, comfortable pair of walking shoes with a non-slip sole - Chichen
Itza is an extensive archaeological site. Wear light clothes - it gets very hot and humid here. Insect repellent is
also very useful as this site is located in the jungle.
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