Chichen-Itza Archaeologica Zone |
The Mayan Civilization was born somewhere around 1000 BC and flourished
for two thousand years throughout the areas we call the Yucatan, Central America
and Central Mexico. Hundreds of villages and cities were linked together economically
to become one of the world’s most complex and powerful empires, yet was totally unknown
to the modern world of Europe until Spain invaded. |
The Ball Court
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El Castillo - perhaps the most
famous Mayan ruin in the world
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Chichen-Itza is just one of the Mayas’ great urban developments.
It is actually two cities: one was ruled by the Maya from the sixth to the tenth century;
the second city was Toltec-Mayan, also known as Aztec, the civilization that occupied
Chichen-Itza at the time the Spanish first discovered it. |
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^The Astronomical Observatory - Astronomy was critical to the ^
accuracy of the Maya Calendars |
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^Statue of the Chac Mool, a human figure reclining and holding a tray,^
a well-known and well recognized figure of Mayan culture.
The message of the reclining position is not known.
To note though, Chac Mools are not
Chaac, a major god of Maya Mythology.
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^A snake head with an^
anthropomorphic
standard holder standing above decorate
the top of the stairway at
The Temple
of the Warriors |
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^The Upper Temple of the Jaguars^
Behind is the Ball Court |
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^The Upper Temple of the Jaguars^
lookinng down on the ball court,
a parallel wall to the right outside of
the picture encloses the court. |
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^ El Castillo ^ |
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^ El Castillo ^ |
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^ The Temple of the Warriors ^
Beneath the temple lies another Chac Mool Temple with mural paintings.
The arcade of columns in front join
The Patio of a Thousand Columns to the right (south side).
To the left above picture, covered in vegetation, is The Temple of the Tables.
Some columns of The Temple of the tables retain their original paint.
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^Several smaller platforms like the above are in Chichen Itza^ |
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