Chich茅n Itz谩
Upon entering Chich茅n Itz谩, El Castillo (aka the Pyramid of Kukulc谩n) rises before you in all its grandeur. The first temple here was pre-Toltec, built鈥
Chich茅n Itz谩
Upon entering Chich茅n Itz谩, El Castillo (aka the Pyramid of Kukulc谩n) rises before you in all its grandeur. The first temple here was pre-Toltec, built鈥
Chich茅n Itz谩
The great ball court, the largest and most impressive in Mexico, is only one of the city鈥檚 eight courts, indicative of the importance the games held here鈥
Chich茅n Itz谩
This group east of El Castillo pyramid takes its name 鈥 which means 鈥楪roup of the Thousand Columns鈥 鈥 from the forest of pillars stretching south and east鈥
Chich茅n Itz谩
Called El Caracol (the Snail) by the Spaniards for its interior spiral staircase, this observatory, to the south of the El Osario, is one of the most鈥
Chich茅n Itz谩
Thought by archaeologists to have been a palace for Maya royalty, the so-called Edificio de las Monjas (Nunnery), with its myriad rooms, resembled a鈥
Chich茅n Itz谩
From the Plataforma de Venus, a 250m rough stone sacb茅 (path) runs north to the huge sunken well that gave this city its name. The Sacred Cenote is some鈥
Chich茅n Itz谩
The Ossuary, otherwise known as the Bonehouse or the Tumba del Gran Sacerdote (High Priest鈥檚 Grave), is a ruined pyramid to the southwest of El Castillo鈥
Chich茅n Itz谩
The Platform of Skulls (Tzompantli in N谩huatl, a Maya dialect) is between the Templo de los Jaguares y Escudos and El Castillo. You can鈥檛 mistake it,鈥
Chich茅n Itz谩
This ceremonial site directly in front of the El Castillo is most notable for its huge, ornate and superbly preserved plumed serpent heads extending on鈥
Chich茅n Itz谩
East of the Nunnery, the Puuc-style Akab-Dzib is thought by some archaeologists to be the most ancient structure excavated here. The central chambers date鈥
Plataforma de las 脕guilas y los Jaguares
Chich茅n Itz谩
Adjacent to the Platform of Skulls, the carvings on the Platform of the Eagles and Jaguars depict those animals gruesomely grabbing human hearts in their鈥
Templo de los Jaguares y Escudos
Chich茅n Itz谩
The Temple of the Jaguars and Shields, built atop the southeast corner of the ball court鈥檚 wall, has some columns with carved rattlesnakes and tablets鈥
Chich茅n Itz谩
The structure at the ball court's north end, called the Temple of the Bearded Man after a carving inside it, has finely sculpted pillars and reliefs of鈥
Chich茅n Itz谩
The visitors center has a small museum with exhibits providing explanations in Spanish, English and French.