In the state of Yucatan in Mexico, the Mayan Indians built and lived in the magnificent city of Chichen Itza. This city was about six square miles in size and was a religious center built in the typical Mayan style between the seventh and tenth centuries AD. There is another half of the city that incorporated Mayan-Toltec designs and was built during the tenth through the thirteenth centuries.
The area was mostly agricultural, but not because of rainfall. The Mayas relied on three sinkholes, called cenotes, that provided them with plentiful supplies of water. Because of the sinkholes, Chichen Itza was a perfect location to settle. It became a city of art, sciences and ceremonies, but as grand as the city was, it had a dark side. The most important cenote is the Cenote of Sacrifice.
When the Itza were merged with the Toltec tribes, the Xio and Cocom, the city would forever be changed. The Toltec influence is evidenced by a change in the architecture, depicting their gods and styles. The Toltec religious practice of human sacrifice was also practiced and archaeologists have found numerous skeletons and skulls that show evidence of sacrifice. When archaeologists dredged the Cenote of Sacrifice, they found various types of offerings, including jade carvings, pottery and human skeletons.
In addition to evidence of sacrifices, archaeologists have found that in 1221 there was a civil war. Homes and temples were burned during the fighting, and soon after, the city began to lose its population. Even though the city never recovered from the civil war, it never quite abandoned. There were still some people that hung around, but nothing was rebuilt and there were no structures built. The one constant was the Cenote of Sacrifice. It was maintained as a sacred site and those dedicated to the gods would continue to make sacrifices and prayers at the cenote.
Some of the main buildings at Chichen Itza are the temples and ball courts. In the middle of the city is the temple of Quetzalcoatl, or Kukulcan, which is the Mayan name for the god. This temple is built as a step pyramid with steps on all four sides leading to the flat top where a temple building was constructed. On the northern side are sculptures of Quetzalcoatl, the feather headed serpent god. During the spring and fall equinoxes, shadows are cast onto the sculptures. The pyramid was actually built on top of another earlier structure. Archaeologists discovered this fact when they found a tunnel that leads to the staircase of the original pyramid.
There is also the Temple of the Warriors built on top of another pyramid. It has a series of columns depicting warriors, evidently to honor those who had fought and fallen in the past. Perhaps one of the most interested facets of Chichen Itza are the ballcourts. Archaeologists have identified seven courts and the largest of them is inscribed with sculptures of various teams. It shows the losing team’s leader being decapitated. These scenes could be indicative of the severity and seriousness of these games. There are also religious overtones inherent in the ballcourts as well. One court has a throne to the jaguar god.
With the city declining, the Spanish conquistador Francisco de Montejo, invaded in 1532 and claimed Chichen Itza for Spain. He held the city for several months, but then a group of Mayans revolted against him and took back the city. As time went by, the city slowly did become an abandoned ruin, but is now preserved as a World Heritage site and is one of the most well known and famous tourist sites. The great city lives on for all people to see and respect.
Gail Bellenger - With a life long interest in archaeology, I naturally pursued a college degree in that field. After receiving my bachelors, I went into ...
