Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is a major archaeological site built by the Maya people.

It is located in the Tinúm Municipality of Yucatán State, Mexico. The name comes from the Yucatec Maya words "chi," meaning mouth or edge, and "ch'en," meaning well. It refers to the "mouth of the well of the Itza people." The Itza were an ethnic group that gained political and economic power in the northern peninsula.

This city was a massive center for the Maya during several important time periods. It was a focal point from the Late Classic period (AD 600–900) through the early Postclassic period (AD 900–1200).

Water was essential to life at this site because of the local geography. The northern Yucatán Peninsula is made of karst, which is a type of rock. In karst landscapes, rivers often run underground. Because of this, people relied on natural sinkholes called cenotes for water.

There are four visible natural cenotes at Chichen Itza. The most famous is the "Cenote Sagrado," or Sacred Cenote. In 2015, scientists discovered a hidden cenote located directly under the Temple of Kukulkan. This discovery shows how connected the architecture is to the water below.

The Sacred Cenote played a major role in Maya worship. Pre-Columbian Maya people offered objects and human beings to the cenote. They did this to worship Chaac, the Maya rain god.

Between 1904 and 1910, Edward Herbert Thompson dredged the Sacred Cenote. He recovered many artifacts, including gold, jade, pottery, and incense. He also found human remains. Studies of these remains showed wounds that were consistent with human sacrifice. This confirms the site was a place of deep religious importance.

Chichen Itza was a massive economic power in the northern Maya lowlands. The city used a maritime market system to trade goods across the sea.

They used a port site called Isla Cerritos on the north coast. They also used another port called Vista Alegre. Through these water-borne routes, the city obtained resources from far away. They received obsidian from central Mexico and gold from southern Central America. This trade helped the city expand into a powerful regional capital between AD 900 and 1050.

The city's architecture is very diverse and shows many different styles. Some buildings look like styles from central Mexico. Others use the Puuc or Chenes styles from the northern Maya lowlands.

Some researchers once thought these styles meant people from central Mexico conquered the area. Now, most experts believe this happened through cultural diffusion. This means ideas and styles spread through contact rather than war. The city likely had a very diverse population, which helped create this variety of building styles.

Political life in the city has been a subject of much study. In the late 1980s, some archaeologists suggested a "multepal" system of government. This would mean the city was ruled by a council of elite lineages rather than one single ruler.

However, recent research has called this theory into question. Many modern scholars now believe Chichen Itza followed the traditional model of Maya kingdoms. This model involved a single ruling lineage, similar to other Classic Period cities in the southern lowlands.

The history of the city shows a rise and a later decline. The city layout developed between 750 and 900 AD.

By the 10th century, it controlled much of the Yucatán. However, archaeological data shows the city declined as a regional center by 1100. This happened before the rise of the city of Mayapan. In the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors arrived in the region.

Francisco Montejo the Younger arrived at the site and renamed it Ciudad Real. Today, the site is federal property maintained by Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History. It remains a massive destination, with over 2.6 million tourists visiting in 2017.