Chichen Itza facts for kids

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Chichén Itzá
History
The Temple of Kukulcán (El Castillo) is the most famous building in Chichen Itza.
Location in Mesoamerica
Location	Yucatán, Mexico
Region	Yucatán
Coordinates	20°40′59″N 88°34′7″W / 20.68306°N 88.56861°W / 20.68306; -88.56861
Periods	Late Classic to Early Postclassic
Cultures	Maya civilization

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Pre-Hispanic City of Chichen-Itza
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iii
Designated	1988 (12th session)
Reference no.	483
Region	Latin America and the Caribbean

Chichén Itzá was a huge city built by the Maya people long ago. This ancient city is located in the state of Yucatán in Mexico. It was a very important place in the northern Maya lands for hundreds of years, from about 600 AD to 1200 AD.

The city is famous for its amazing buildings, which show different styles of architecture. Some styles came from central Mexico, and others were local. Scientists once thought this meant people from central Mexico conquered the city. Now, they believe these styles spread through trade and communication between different cultures.

Chichén Itzá was one of the biggest and most powerful Maya cities. It might have been one of the "great cities" mentioned in ancient stories. The city was home to people from many different backgrounds, which might be why it has so many unique building styles.

Today, the ruins of Chichén Itzá are owned by the government of Mexico. An organization called the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) takes care of the site. It is one of the most popular tourist spots in Mexico, with millions of people visiting every year.

What Does the Name Mean?

Stone designs on the "Monjas" building at Chichen Itza in 1902.

The name "Chichen Itza" comes from the Maya language. It means "At the mouth of the well of the Itza."

Chi means "mouth" or "edge."
Chʼen means "well."
Itzá was the name of the group of people who ruled the city. The name Itza might mean "enchanter of the water."

Before the Itza people arrived, the city had an even older name. It was something like Uuc Yabnal, which could mean "Seven Great House" or "Seven Great Rulers."

Location and Water Source

An aerial view shows just a small part of the huge city of Chichen Itza.

Chichén Itzá is in the eastern part of Mexico's Yucatán state. The land there is made of limestone, and there are no rivers on the surface. Instead, water flows in underground rivers.

Sometimes, the ground collapses and creates a natural sinkhole filled with water. These are called cenotes. Chichén Itzá has four large cenotes, which gave the people a steady supply of fresh water all year.

One of these, the Sacred Cenote (or Cenote Sagrado), is the most famous. Ancient Maya people considered it a holy place. They worshipped their rain god, Chaac, by throwing valuable objects and even people into the cenote as sacrifices. In the early 1900s, a man named Edward Herbert Thompson pulled many artifacts from the bottom of the cenote, including gold, jade, and pottery.

In 2015, scientists discovered another cenote hidden deep underneath the main pyramid, El Castillo.

How Was the City Ruled?

These columns are part of the Temple of a Thousand Warriors.

For a while, archaeologists thought Chichén Itzá was not ruled by a single king or royal family. They believed a council of leaders from powerful families governed the city together. This system is called a "multepal."

However, recent studies have changed this idea. Many experts now think Chichén Itzá was ruled more like the older Maya kingdoms, with a single powerful ruler in charge.

Economy and Trade

Chichén Itzá was a major center for trade. It controlled a port on the north coast called Isla Cerritos. Through this port, the city could trade with faraway places.

They traded for valuable resources that were not available in their area. This included obsidian (a sharp, black volcanic glass) from central Mexico and gold from Central America. This trade made the city very wealthy and powerful.

History of Chichén Itzá

The Great Ballcourt is where the Maya played a special ballgame.

The main part of Chichén Itzá was built between 750 and 900 AD. The city became a powerful capital in the 10th century. It controlled a large area of the Yucatán peninsula.

The Rise of a Great City

Chichén Itzá started to become powerful around 600 AD. As it grew, other nearby cities like Yaxuna and Coba began to decline. Chichén Itzá's rise may have caused these other cities to fall.

Decline of the City

Some old Maya stories say that a ruler from the city of Mayapan conquered Chichén Itzá in the 13th century. However, archaeologists have found evidence that Chichén Itzá was already losing its power by 1100 AD, before Mayapan became a major city.

Even after the city's leaders left, people still lived in the area. When the Spanish arrived in the 1500s, the Sacred Cenote was still used as a place for religious journeys.

The Spanish Conquest

In 1527, a Spanish Conquistador named Francisco de Montejo tried to conquer the Yucatán. He failed, but his son, Francisco Montejo The Younger, tried again in 1532. He marched to Chichén Itzá and made it his capital, calling it Ciudad Real.

At first, the Maya people did not resist. But soon, they grew angry and surrounded the Spanish soldiers. The Spanish were trapped in the ancient ruins for months. They tried to fight their way out but lost many soldiers. In 1534, they were forced to escape in the middle of the night. It took many more years for the Spanish to finally conquer the Yucatán.

Modern History

Chichen Itza in 1860, before the plants and trees were cleared away.

In 1843, a book called Incidents of Travel in Yucatan by John Lloyd Stephens made Chichén Itzá famous around the world. The book, with drawings by Frederick Catherwood, inspired many people to explore the ruins.

In 1894, an American named Edward Herbert Thompson bought the land where the ruins were. For 30 years, he explored the city. He is famous for pulling many treasures out of the Sacred Cenote. He sent most of these artifacts to the Peabody Museum at Harvard University.

Later, from 1923, the Carnegie Institution and the Mexican government worked together to excavate and restore many of the main buildings, including the Temple of Kukulcán and the Temple of Warriors. In 2010, the state of Yucatán bought the land, so the most important monuments are now publicly owned.

A Tour of the Site

A map of the central part of Chichen Itza.

Chichén Itzá was a huge city. The main center with its stone buildings covers about 5 square kilometers (almost 2 square miles). The buildings were connected by paved roads called sacbeob.

Originally, the buildings were not plain stone. They were painted in bright colors like red, green, blue, and purple. Imagine the city as a vibrant, colorful place.

The site is divided into several groups of buildings. The most famous ones are on the Great North Platform.

Great North Platform

Temple of Kukulcán (El Castillo)

A light show at night creates the serpent effect on the pyramid.

The serpent effect seen during the spring equinox in 2009.

The most famous building at Chichén Itzá is the Temple of Kukulcán, also known as El Castillo ("the castle"). Kukulcán is the Maya name for a feathered serpent god. This pyramid is about 30 meters (98 feet) tall. It has nine levels and a temple on top.

There are four staircases, one on each side. At the bottom of the main staircase are two giant carved serpent heads.

A fascinating event happens here during the spring and autumn equinoxes. In the late afternoon, the sun casts shadows that look like a giant snake slithering down the side of the pyramid. Many people believe the Maya designed the pyramid to create this effect.

Inside the pyramid, archaeologists found an older, smaller pyramid. Within this hidden temple, they discovered a red jaguar throne with spots made of green jade.

Great Ball Court

The Great Ball Court is the largest in ancient Mesoamerica.

The Maya played a special Mesoamerican ballgame, and Chichén Itzá has 13 ballcourts. The Great Ball Court is the largest one ever found. It is 168 meters (551 feet) long and 70 meters (230 feet) wide.

The court has two long walls that are 8 meters (26 feet) high. High up on each wall is a stone ring carved with snakes. Players had to hit a solid rubber ball through these rings. Carvings on the walls show teams of players. One carving shows a player who has been sacrificed.

Other Buildings on the Platform

The Tzompantli, or Skull Platform, is a low platform with rows of skulls carved into the stone.
The Platform of the Eagles and the Jaguars has carvings of these animals eating human hearts.
The Platform of Venus is dedicated to the planet Venus.

Sacred Cenote

The Sacred Cenote was a place of pilgrimage and sacrifice.

A long road leads from the main plaza to the Sacred Cenote. This huge natural well is 60 meters (200 feet) across. Its steep cliffs drop 27 meters (89 feet) to the water below.

The Maya believed this cenote was a gateway to the underworld and a home for the rain god Chaac. During times of drought, they would throw offerings into the water to please the god. Archaeologists have found thousands of items at the bottom, including gold, jade, pottery, and human skeletons.

Temple of the Warriors

The Temple of the Warriors is surrounded by carved columns.

A statue of a Chacmool at the top of the temple.

This large pyramid is surrounded by rows of carved stone columns. Each column shows a warrior in bas-relief. At the top of the temple stairs is a statue of a reclining figure known as a Chac Mool.

Next to the temple is the Group of a Thousand Columns. These columns once held up a huge roof over a large meeting hall.

Other Important Areas

The Osario Group

This group has a smaller pyramid called The Osario, or High Priest's Temple. It looks like a miniature version of El Castillo. An opening at the top leads down to a cave 12 meters (39 feet) below, where skeletons and jade beads were found.

The Central Group

The observatory temple, known as "El Caracol."

Las Monjas ("The Nunnery") was not a home for nuns but was actually a government palace. It is decorated in the beautiful Puuc architectural style.
El Caracol ("The Snail") is a round building that was used as an observatory. The Maya were expert astronomers, and the windows of this building line up with the movements of stars and planets, especially Venus.
Akab Dzib means "Dark Writing" in Mayan. This name comes from some mysterious carved symbols above a doorway. It was likely the home of an important city administrator.

Tourism Today

A 1938 painting shows a carving from a column in the Temple of the Warriors.

Chichén Itzá is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico. Many tourists visit from the nearby resort city of Cancún.

In 2007, the Temple of Kukulcán was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in a global poll. This brought even more attention to the site.

For safety reasons, visitors are no longer allowed to climb the pyramids or enter their inner chambers. However, you can still walk around these incredible structures and imagine what life was like in this magnificent Maya city.