Tzompantli Chichén Itzá 2026: Wall of Skulls, Toltec Sacrifice Rack The Tzompantli (also called the Wall of Skulls or Platform of the Skulls) at Chichén Itzá is a T-shaped stone platform located immediately south of the Great Ball Court, covered in over 500 bas-relief carvings of human skulls arranged in rows along the platform’s walls. … Read more
Thousand Columns Chichén Itzá 2026: Plaza, Market, Temple Complex The Group of the Thousand Columns (Spanish: Grupo de las Mil Columnas) is a vast plaza complex at Chichén Itzá located immediately south of the Temple of the Warriors. Despite the name, the structure contains several hundred columns (not a full thousand) — the “thousand” is … Read more
Temple of the Warriors Chichén Itzá 2026: Chac Mool + 1000 Columns The Temple of the Warriors (Spanish: Templo de los Guerreros) is a large stepped pyramid complex at Chichén Itzá, located approximately 50 meters east of El Castillo. The pyramid rises approximately 12 meters (40 feet) high on a square base of 40 meters … Read more
Chichén Itzá Symbols & Carvings 2026: Kukulkán, Chaac, Jaguars, Glyphs Chichén Itzá contains thousands of carved symbols across its major structures, most representing Maya and Toltec-influenced religious iconography. The most important recurring symbols are: Kukulkán (the feathered serpent) — the deity whose worship dominates post-Classic Chichén Itzá, represented as a snake with feathers, appearing on … Read more
Sacred Cenote Chichén Itzá 2026: Sacrifice, Offerings, Thompson Dredging The Sacred Cenote (Spanish: Cenote Sagrado; also known as the Well of Sacrifice or Cenote of Sacrifice) is a natural limestone sinkhole at the northern edge of Chichén Itzá, connected to the main archaeological complex by a 300-meter raised causeway (sacbe). The cenote measures approximately 60 … Read more
Nunnery Complex Chichén Itzá 2026: Las Monjas, La Iglesia, Chichén Viejo The Nunnery Complex (Spanish: Grupo de las Monjas) is a cluster of Terminal Classic Puuc-style buildings in the southern section of Chichén Itzá — the older, pre-Toltec heart of the city. The centerpiece is Las Monjas (“The Nunnery”), a massive three-tiered palace approximately 60 … Read more
Maya Astronomy Chichén Itzá 2026: Calendar, Venus, Equinox Serpent Maya astronomy was among the most sophisticated naked-eye observational sciences of the ancient world — and Chichén Itzá contains some of the most spectacular physical evidence of this tradition. Without telescopes, computers, or modern instruments, Maya astronomers tracked the sun, moon, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and bright … Read more
History of Chichén Itzá 2026: Founding, Peak, Decline, Spanish Conquest Chichén Itzá was founded approximately the 6th century CE (~550 CE) by Maya peoples drawn to the area by its cenotes (natural freshwater sinkholes) in a region with no surface rivers. The city rose to regional prominence toward the end of the Early Classic period … Read more
The Great Ball Court Chichén Itzá 2026: Dimensions, Acoustics, Maya Game The Great Ball Court (Spanish: Gran Juego de Pelota) at Chichén Itzá is the largest Mesoamerican ball court ever built — measuring 168 meters long by 70 meters wide (551 × 230 feet) with parallel stone walls 8 meters (26 feet) high. Built around … Read more
El Castillo Chichén Itzá 2026: Temple of Kukulkán Complete Guide El Castillo (Spanish for “the Castle”), formally the Temple of Kukulkán (or Pyramid of Kukulcán), is the centerpiece of Chichén Itzá and arguably the most famous Maya pyramid in the world. The structure stands 30 meters (98 feet) tall, consists of nine square terraces topped … Read more
