Chichén Itzá (chēchān` ētsä`), city of the ancient Maya Maya (mī`ə, Span. mä`yä)
..... Click the link for more information. , central Yucatán, Mexico. It was founded around two large cenotes, or natural wells. According to one system of dating, it was founded c.514, probably by the Itzá Itzá (ētsä`), Maya of Yucatán (Mexico) and Petén (Guatemala).
..... Click the link for more information. , and after being abandoned (692) and reoccupied (c.928) was chosen by Kulkulcán (see Quetzalcoatl Quetzalcoatl (kĕt'sälkôät`əl)
..... Click the link for more information. ) as his capital sometime between 968 and 987. After being defeated by Mayapán in 1194, the Itzá abandoned the city for the last time. Spanning two great periods of Maya civilization, Chichén Itzá shows both Classic and Post-Classic architectural styles. The Classic style is massive, with heavy, decorative sculpture and cramped interiors. The later buildings have plainer, more austere lines, with the sculpture based on the Mexican feathered-serpent motif and columns. Toltec Toltec (tŏl`tĕk), ancient civilization of Mexico. The name in Nahuatl means "master builders.
..... Click the link for more information. influence is strong. The Castillo, or principal temple of Kulkulcán, is representative of the period. Rare among Maya buildings is the round tower called the Caracol [snail shell], built in the Post-Classic period; it was probably an astronomical observatory. Into Chichén Itzá's sacred well, mecca of countless pilgrimages from Central America and the Mexican plateau, were thrown jade and metal offerings. Humans were also sacrificed. Dredgings of the well in modern times have yielded a valuable collection of artifacts.

Bibliography

See studies by D. Ediger (1971) and M. Cohodas (1978).

Chichén Itzá

The Castillo (background) and a portion of the Colonnade, Chichén Itzá

(credit: Josef Muench)

Ancient ruined Mayan city in Mexico's Yucatán state. Chichén Itzá was founded by the Maya about the 6th century AD in an arid region where water was obtained from natural wells called cenotes. The city was invaded in the 10th century—probably by a Mayan-speaking group under strong Toltec influence—and the invaders constructed another series of buildings, including the famous stepped pyramid known as El Castillo and a ball court. The site, though largely abandoned by the time the Spanish arrived in the 16th century, remained sacred to the Maya people. It was designated a World Heritage site in 1988.