Chichén Itzá
In the Maya language, Chichén Itzá means "Mouth of the Itzás' well" or "Edge of the Itzás' well", referring to the sacred cenote or the sacrifices located near this archeological complex.

The city reached its peak around the years 600 to 900 B.C., was then abandoned, only to be re-founded by the Itzas in the year 500 A.D. The Maya priest Lakin Chan, also known as Itzamná, made the city flourish once again. From that time on, the inhabitants were called chanes or itzas. The city was never again abandoned, being continuously populated until the arrival of the Spaniards in 1526.

The Chichén Itzá complex encompasses nearly 15 km2, and its buildings reveal several styles, which correspond to different periods in its evolution. The architectural style that predominated in the earlier buildings is called Puuc, after the region of cities such as Uxmal and Sayil. Examples of this style are the buildings of The Nuns, the Annex, the Church, the House of the Deer, the Akabdzib and others.

Once the styles of other areas of Mesoamerica, especially the Gulf and Altiplano, were assimilated, Chichén Itzá developed its own style of decoration, planning and iconography. It has been named the Maya-Toltec style of Chichén Itzá. The Thousand Columns, the Ball Court, the Tzompantli and the Temple of Warriors are a few of the constructions that exemplify this style.

The area was a major ceremonial center of the Maya culture during the period from 900 to 1200 A.D. The most enormous constructions left date back to those years, the most outstanding being the Kukulcán (Maya version of Quetzalcóatl, the Plumed Serpent) Pyramid, also known as the Castle. Here, twice a year, on the spring equinox and the autumn solstice, there is a spectacle which is unique in the world: a play of shadows on the building simulates the descent of a serpent until it is swallowed up by the earth.

The Castle contains the oldest hidden pyramid, inside of which are a Chac Mool (god associated with the cult to rain) and a jaguar throne painted red with jade inlays simulating its skin. This building has been interpreted as the material expression of a calendar, since the number of steps on the four staircases and those at the temple entrance total 365, the number of days in a year.

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