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Perhaps the most famous Mayan archeological zone in the world, the grandeur and beauty of Chichen Itza will leave you breathless. These constructions are clear evidence of the genius of the people which built them.
Climb to the top of the Pyramid of Kukulkan, the giant calendar whose phenomenon of light and shadow every equinox attracts tourists and scientists from all over the world. Admire the Observatory, the Temple of the Thousand Columns, the Ball Court, the Sacred Cenote, and other constructions. And don't miss the dazzling light and sound show, which every night recounts the history of this sacred city.

Chichen Itza was the site of pilgrimages for centuries before the Spanish conquest, and it was one of the largest cities of the Maya area. Its rulers controlled the routes of commerce and exercised political and military dominion over the peninsula.
Its name can be translated as "mouth of the well" and there are those who call it "the city of the water sorcerers." It reached its greatest urban and cultural development from the eleventh to the thirteenth centuries.
The Chichen site covers 15 square kilometers and its constructions reveal, with balanced proportions, a variety of styles corresponding to the diverse stages of its evolution. The Castillo (Castle) is outstanding, with its superimposed structures, dedicated to the cult of Kukulkan, serpent-god or mythical heroe who came from central Mexico. On one of its four facades, its stairway ends in serpents heads. Each stairway has 91 steps, which added to those of the upper temple's entrance, make 365, the same number as the days of the year. In the interior is a famous polychome Chac-mool and a jaguar throne painted red with inlays of jade and conch. On this pyramid the phenomena of light and shade occurs during the equinoxes of March and September, desplaying a succession of triangles simulating a serpent descending the stairways.
The Juego de Pelota is the largest in Mesoamerica with 168 meters in length. It is one of 13 whitin the ancient city and was a sacred field for religious-sport engagements. The Templo de los Guerreros (Temple of the Warriors) owes its name to the numerous armed personages sculpted in stone forming part of the Mil Columnas (Thousand Columns), columns that served to support a roof that no longer exists.
The Caracol (Conch) or Observatorio (Observatory) is one of the few circular buildings built by the Mayas. An interior spiral stairway leading to the lookout gives the building its names. It is certain that it served to make astronomical observations through openings and windows in the upper part of the tower.
The Cenote Sagrado (Sacred Well) is a well some 60 meters in diameter and 20 meters deep and was used for religious and ceremonial purposes. The Maya considered the cenote's waters to be the abode of the rain gods to which they dedicated sacrifices and offerings. This explains the power of Chichen as a pilgrimage center. Explorations have brought up objects of copper and gold, jade collars, sculpted stones, clay vessels, arrowheads and human remains.

Source: CULTUR