Chichén Itzá - Mouth of the Well of the Itza

The Pyramid of Kukulkán (Feather Serpent) was built in the 11th century, in Toltec style. At the level of the top step, the height is 24 metres. The height to the top of the temple is 30 metres.

The Maya used to build pyramids over old pyramids. Inside the Pyramid of Kukulkán is another pyramid. Archeologists have made a tunnel from the base of the northern flight of stairs, which goes up to the temple of the inner pyramid. In the above photo, people are waiting outside the entrance of the tunnel.

Another side of the pyramid. Some sides have not been restored.

Climbers

At the top of the Pyramid of Kukulkán.

The Ball Court (between the tall walls). Nobles watched the game from the square tower.

Ball games were common to all Mesoamerican peoples. There were various versions, depending on the place, and period. At Chichén Itzá two teams of 7 players struggled to pass a heavy rubber ball through a stone ring on an 8 metre wall. (The natives of Mesoamerica, or South America, discovered rubber thousands of years ago.)

The ball game had a religious significance for the Maya. The captain of the defeated team was sacrificed; the winning captain decapitated him. But according to some experts, the winning captain was decapitated! It was supposedly considered an honour to be sacrificed.

Bas-relief at the Ball Court. Players in costume.

The jaguar and the eagle were important cult-symbols for Toltec warriors. In this bas-relief, they are shown eating human hearts.

The Toltec displayed the heads of sacrificial victims on a raised platform. The skull platform at Chichén Itzá has many sculpted skulls along the sides. This photo shows an angle of the platform.

The Temple of the Warriors is very similar to Temple B at Tula, the Toltec capital which king Topiltzin Quetzalcoatl and his followers were forced to flee.

Toltec influence is very evident in the northern part of Chichén Itzá. In the southern part, the style of architecture is similar to that of Uxmal and other cities of the Puuk region. Because of this, some experts believe that the buildings in the southern part were built during the Classic period, and those of the northern part during the Post Classic. (According to some historians, the Toltec captured the city in the year 987 AD.) The southern part is sometimes called Old Chichen and the northern part New Chichen. The photos below are from Old Chichen.

This building, which resembles an astronomical observatory, was, in fact, and observatory. Today it has a dome-like shape, but this is due to falling bricks; the structure was originally cylindrical. (Model) This building is sometimes called El Caracol, which means 'The Snail' in Spanish, because there is a helical set of stairs inside the tower.

This building is called the Annex; its purpose is unknown. Notice that the walls and corners are decorated with faces of Chaak, the god of rain. Twelve Chaaks are visible in this photo. The Annex is a typical example of Puuk style, named after the Puuk region of northern Yucatán, where it is commonly seen. (See: Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil.)

Between the Annex and the Church. The god Chaak was depicted with long hook-shaped nose. On ancient monuments, the noses are usually broken, but this photo shows an unbroken nose.

In the northern part of the Yucatán Peninsula, rivers flow in underground caverns. When the roof of a cavern collapses, a natural well is formed. The Maya generally founded their villages and cities close to such wells. Chichén Itzá has two. The photo above shows the Sacred Well, where the Maya offered valuables and even people to their god Chaak.