This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Infrogmation (talk | contribs) at 19:17, 26 January 2003. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 19:17, 26 January 2003 by Infrogmation (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Chichen Itza (in Spanish Chichén Itzá) is the largest ancient ruined city of the Maya civilization in Yucatan.
Chichen Itza is a Maya name meaning "At the mouth of the wells of the Itza people", which was the usual name for the site in Pre-Columbian times, although it is also refered to in the ancient chronocles as Uucyabnal, meaning "7 Great Rulers". Yucatan has no rivers, so the fact that there were 3 natual sink holes or cenotes providing plentiful water year round at Chichen made it a natural spot for a center of population; two of these are still in existance, the most famous being the legendary "Cenote of Sacrifice", which was sacred to the Maya rain god Chac. Offerings of jade, pottery, and incence were thrown into the great well as offerings to Chac, and occasionally during times of desperate drought a human sacrifice -- however there is no confirmation in either ancient chronocles nor the archeological dredging of the cenote to confirm the lurid tales of some tour guides claiming great numbers of beautiful young virgin women were regularly cast into the well.
Chichen was a major center by about 600 in the middle of the Maya Classic period, but the city saw it's greatest growth and power after the Maya sites of the central lowlands to the south had already collapsed.
| Apparently a Toltec king named Quetzalcoatl arrived here with an army from central Mexico, and (with local Maya allies) made Chichen Itza his capital, and a second Tula. Chichen's "Temple of the Warriors" was clearly built as a copy of Temple B at the Toltec capital of Tula, although thanks to the Maya architects is grander than the original. The art and architecture from this period shows an interesting mix of Maya and Toltec styles. | File:Temple of the Warriors s.jpg |
| Temple of the Warriors (click for larger photo) |
| File:Temple of Kukulcan (Quetzalcoatl) or El Castillo s.jpg | Dominating the center of Chichen is the Temple of Kukulcan (the Maya name for Quetzalcoatl), often refered to as "El Castillo" (the castle). This step pyramid with a ground plan of square terraces with stairways up each of the 4 sides to the temple on top. Great sculptures of Plumed Serpents run down the sides of the northern staircase, and are set off by shadows from the corner tiers on the Spring and Fall equinox. |
| El Castillo or Temple of Kukulcan |
_or_El_Castillo_s.jpg){kind=link}
| The Maya chronicles record that in 1221 a revolt and civil war broke out, and archeological evidence confirms that the great market and the Temple of the Warriors were burnt at about this date. Chichen Itza went into decline as rulership over Yucatan shifted to Mayapan. | |||
_or_El_Castillo_2s.jpg)
|
While the site was never completely abandoned, the population declined and no major new constructions were built. | File:Head of serpent column s.jpg | |
| West side of El Castillo | plumed serpent | ||
In 1531 Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Montejo claimed Chichen Itza and intended to make it the capital of Spanish Yucatan, but after a few months native Maya revolt drove Montejo and his forces from the land. (see: Spanish Conquest of Yucatan)
In 1839 United States travel writers Benjamin Norman, followed a few months later by John Lloyd Stephens, visited and published accounts of the ruins of Chichen Itza. Various other expeditions made further examinations of the ruins, cumulating in the 20 year excavation project by the Carnegie Institution and Harvard University that began in 1924.
Chichen Itza is today a World Heritage Site and a very popular tourist destination.