Where Is Chichen Itza?

Chichen Itza is located about 120 miles from

the modern-day resort town of Cancun, on
Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
The name Chichen Itza is a Mayan  language
term for “at the mouth of the well of the Itza.”
The Itza were an ethnic group of Mayans
who had risen to power in the northern part
of the Yucatan peninsula, where the city is
located.
The well in the name refers to a number of
underground rivers that run beneath the
region and likely served as the source of
water for the city. This easy access to water
made the location perfect for a city the size
of Chichen Itza.
When Was Chichen Itza Built?

Some accounts place the establishment of

the city in the early 400s A.D., while others
suggest construction started a few years
later, in the middle part of the fifth century.
What isn’t up for debate is that Chichen Itza
was a significant center of political and
economic activity in the Mayan culture by
roughly 600 A.D.

Cenote at Chichen Itza

A large cenote (sacred well or spring)
located at the northern end of Chichen Itza
has immense ceremonial and archaeological
significance.
Long rumored to have been the site of
human sacrifice, the cenote was dredged in
the early 1900s. The dredging yielded
numerous precious artifacts made of gold,
turquoise and jade, as well as human
remains.
Researchers found that the human remains
had bone marks and other wounds indicating
that they were killed before being thrown into
the cenote.

Chichen Itza Today

A number of important structures of the

original city remain standing, some thanks to
restoration efforts on the part of the Mexican
government. Among them:
El Castillo: Also known as the Temple of
Kukulkan, named for a Mayan deity that
appears as a feathered serpent. This
pyramid-shaped structure stands close to
100 feet high.
The Great Ball Court: Just to the northwest
of El Castillo, this structure was used for
sport—primarily a team game using a ball.
The North Temple: Also called the Temple
of the Bearded Man, this small building is
adjacent to the Great Ball Court and features
a carving on its inner walls, with the central
figure of a man with a carving under his chin
that resembles facial hair.
The Steam Bath: This structure features a
water bath and steam chamber operated by
using heated stones.
Sacbe Number One: One of the paved
streets of the city that extends nearly 900
feet.
Temple of the Warriors: Another large,
stepped pyramid.
Group of a Thousand Columns: A series of
exposed columns that are believed to have
supported a large roof system.
El Mercado: A square structure at the
southern end of the Temple of the Warriors
that archeologists believe served as the
city’s marketplace.
El Osario: Another step-pyramid structure
with a temple at its peak.
Today, some 2 million tourists visit Chichen
Itza annually to explore its architectural
wonders and gain further insight into Mayan
history and culture. However, archeologists
are still at work on the site.
As recently as 2016, scientists discovered a
smaller pyramid within El Castillo using
modern imaging technology. It is believed
this smaller structure held religious
significance to the Mayans.

Some interesting facts and summary.

1. Chichen Itza is classified as one of the New
Seven Wonders of the World and in 1988 was
enlisted as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

2. The term Chichen Itza means ‘the mouth at

the well of Itza’. It is believed Itza means ‘water
magicians’, deriving from the Mayan Itz for
‘magic’ and á for ‘water’.

3. El Castillo (the Temple of Kukulkan) is the

famous pyramid which dominates the site of
Chichen Itza and it actually sits on another
much older temple.

4. Believed by archaeologists to have been a

powerful economic city around 600 AD, the fall
of Chichen Itza is thought to have been
approximately 1000 AD.
5. The design and layout of Chichen Itza was
clearly well planned and builders constructed
temples and pyramids in sets of clusters.
6. The four most well known clusters are the
Great North Platform, the Ossario Group, the
Central Group and the Old Chichen, which is
not open to the public. The Great North
Platform is home to the most visited sites of
Chichen Itza, including the Kukulkan Pyramid,
the Great Ball Court and the Temple of the
Jaguars.

7. During the Spring (20th of March) and

Autumn Equinox (22nd September), sunrays
creates a shadow across the Kukulkan Pyramid
that gives the appearance of a serpent
slithering down the staircase.

8. Located on the north side of the Kukulkan

Pyramid is a platform dedicated to the planet
Venus. The Mayans were devoted astronomers
and the movements of Venus held special
meaning to them, with it influencing the
architecture of the ancient Mayan city Uxmal.
9. Although the Kukulkan Pyramid is the most
famous and most visited, there are numerous
others in Chichen Itza. The Osario is very
similar but smaller in size and at the centre is
an opening to a natural cave.

10. Many of the sites in Chichen Itza are known

for their unusual sounds. If you clap once from
one end of the Ball Court, it produces nine
echoes in the middle of the court. Additionally, a
clap in front of the Kukulkan Pyramid creates an
echo resembling the serpent’s chirp.