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Chichen Itza is one of the most important Archaeological Sites in the world. Also, it’s one of the most popular and beloved destinations for people. Why is it the most popular and important archaeological site in the world? This starts with its history and the secrets that the Archaeological Site hides. Therefore, with the “Exploring Inside Chichen Itza: An Archaeological Adventure” article, we’ll do a brief virtual tour where you’ll learn all about Chichen Itza Ruins.
The Pyramid of Kukulcan is the principal ruin at Chichen Itza and the most popular Mayan Ruin in the world. Also, it’s known as “El Castillo” and “The Temple of Kukulcan”, It’s the building the most impressive to see at the Archaeological Site.
The Mayan Pyramid is 23 meters high above a rectangular platform 55.5 meters wide. It though represents the Mayan Calendar: each step is one day of the year.
Between March 21st and September 21st, the sun makes shadows and lights slide down from above in one of the steps of the Pyramid of Kukulcan. So, one serpent appears to descend off the temple and the last beam of light projects into the head of the Plumed Serpent. This phenomenon occurs 3 hours before sunset.
Another impressive thing about the pyramid is the acoustic sounds in the place. When you applaud from 50 meters in front of the pyramid, you can hear the sound of the Quetzal.
In this temple, the rulers used to sit to see the ballgame. The interior of the building consists of a single room.
The Tzompantli of Chichen Itza is a rectangular platform 60 meters long and 12 meters wide with a shape of “T”.
It has reliefs that the Mayans used to show the heads of their enemies.
This temple is called Platform of the Eagles and Jaguars due to the relief there are eagles and jaguars devour human hearts.
It is believed that on this platform, there were posts used to display the skulls of sacrificial victims. The protruding body features representations of eagles and warriors carrying human heads in their hands.
The Temple of the Warriors is one of the pyramids more conserved than the others in the Chichen Itza zone.
This pyramid was built on an ancient building known as “The Temple of Chacmool”, it is built on top of an ancient building known as the Temple of Chac Mool, on whose walls and inner pilasters there are depictions of feathered serpents, warriors, and priests.
This terrace has spacious vaulted spaces supported by columns (around 200). The square likely had a civic-religious function.
It has a drainage system that collects water and stores it in a nearby natural depression.
It’s another place that you must visit at Chichen Itza. The Market Place is located in the enclosure, where the Mayan architects achieve constructive progress.
The Venus Platform is known as the “Tomb of the Chac Mool”. On its reliefs is found at the center of the planets, a bird-serpent man who is considered a representation of Quetzacoatí-Kukulcan as the star morning.
This pyramid is 10 meters high and probably it was a funerary chamber. Its shape is similar to the Pyramid of Kukulcan, but The Ossuary is smaller than the Pyramid of Kukulcan.
This is one of the most amazing pyramids to see at Chichen Itza after the Pyramid of Kukulcan. It is also known as The Observatory due to its shape and possible astral associations. A series of alignments related to astronomical events were considered for the top part, including those with the planet Venus and the sunset during the equinoxes.
The name "El Caracol" is due to a spiral staircase that leads to the top of the building.
The Nun’s House is a set of large buildings that served as the palaces where Mayan royalty lived.
On one side, you can see "The Church," a single-room building with lush decoration on its upper facade. To this day, the function of this building, one of the achievements of Puuc-style architecture in Chichen Itza, remains unknown.
Its name comes from the reliefs sculpted on the north and south walls of the colonnade, displaying scenes of numerous real and mythological characters, animals, and plants, all dominated by two warriors.
The offerings discovered during its exploration are evidence of rituals related to fire celebrations.
At the opposite end of the complex, you'll find the Sacred Cenote, another one of the places to see in Chichen Itza and the last one we visited. You can't swim in it or descend to its base. You can only take photos from above.
It's about 30 meters deep and was used for offerings to the gods and human sacrifices. In fact, numerous treasures and remains of bodies have been found, as I mentioned in the Chichen Itza history above.
Although, after seeing other more beautiful cenotes in Yucatan, this particular one appeared rather ordinary to us. It's important to remember that it was a significant pilgrimage site for the Mayans.
