Includes pictures of Chichen Itza\'s ruins and art.
Similarly the great pyramid at Chichen Itza is designated El Castillo ("The.
Today, tourists are taken by guides to a building called the Nunnery for no good reason other than the small rooms reminded the Spaniards of a nunnery back home.
D.
Although Chichen Itza was around for hundreds of years, it had a relatively short period of dominance in the region, lasting from about 800-950 A.
Underwater archaeology carried out in the cenote at Chichen Itza revealed that offerings to the Maya rain deity Chaac (which may have included people) were tossed into the sinkhole.
Because adequate supplies of water, which rarely collected on the surface of the limestone based Yucatan, were essential for adequate agricultural production, the Maya here considered it of primary importance.
Of particular interest at Chichen Itza is the sacred cenote, a sinkhole was a focus for Maya rituals around water.
At its height, Chichen Itza may have had over 30, 000 inhabitants, and with a spectacular pyramid, enormous ball court, observatory and several temples, the builders of this City exceeded even those at Uxmal in developing the use of columns and exterior relief decoration.
Chichen Itza was inhabited for hundreds of years and was a very influential center in the later years of Maya civilization.
At the heart of the fascination is the Most visited and the Most spectacular of Late Classic Maya cities: Chichen Itza.
Many ancient civilizations have influenced and inspired people in the 21st century, like the Greeks and the Romans, but of all the world\'s civilizations, none have intrigued people more than the Mayans, whose culture, astronomy, language, and mysterious disappearance all continue to captivate people.
Includes a bibliography for further reading.
Describes the layout of Chichen Itza, its important structures, and the theories about the buildings\' uses.
Explains the History of the site and the theories about its purpose and abandonment.
Includes pictures of Chichen Itza\'s ruins and art
