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Revision as of 20:08, 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. The Sacred Cenote was long a place of pilgrimage Yucatan.
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.
Some of the notable classic era structures at Chichen include a fine complex of buildings in the "Puuc" architectural style. The Spanish nicknamed this complex "Las Monjas" or "The Nunnery" but was actually the city's classic era government palace. Nearby is a round building on a large square platform nicknamed "El Caracol" or "the snail" for the stone spiral staircase inside; this was an observatory (the doors were alligned to view the vernal equinox, the Moon's greatest northern and southern declinations, and other astronomical events) sacred to Kululcan, the feathered-serpent god of the wind and learning.
| Apparently about 987 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 |
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File:Head of serpent column s.jpg | |
| West side of El Castillo | plumed serpent |
Seven courts for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame have been found in Chichen, but the one about 150 meters to the north-west of the Castillo is by far the most impressive. It is the largest ballcourt in ancient Mesoamerica. The sides of the interior of the ballcourt are lined with sculpted panels depicting teams of ball players, with the captain of the winning team decapitating the captain of the loosers.
Chichen also has a variety of other structures densely packed in the ceremonial center of about 5km 2 (2 square miles) and several outlying subsidiary sites. Nearby are the sacred Caves of Balankanche, where a large selection of ancient pottery and idols may be seen still in the positions where they were left in Pre-Columbian times.
The Maya chronicles record that in 1221 a revolt and civil war broke out, and archeological evidence confirms that the wooden roofs of 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.
While the site was never completely abandoned, the population declined and no major new constructions were built. The Sacred Cenote, however, remained a place of pilgrimage.
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 a 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.