Chichén Itzá
치첸이트사
Chichén Itzá is the ruin of one of the largest cities ever built by the Maya people. It lies in the state of Yucatán in southeastern Mexico, between the cities of Mérida and Valladolid. The city grew into a powerful centre of trade and politics from about AD 600 and stayed important until around 1200. Its name means "at the mouth of the well of the Itzá", after the natural water holes that kept the city alive in a land with no rivers on the surface.
See it on the 3D globe →At a glance
- Country
- Mexico
- Location
- Yucatán, Mexico
- Built
- c. 600–1200
- Height
- 30 m
- Type
- Ancient site
Quick answers
Where is Chichén Itzá?
Chichén Itzá is in Yucatán, Mexico.
How tall is Chichén Itzá?
Chichén Itzá is about 30 m tall.
A great Maya city whose El Castillo pyramid casts a serpent-shaped shadow at the equinoxes.
The most famous building is a stepped pyramid called the Temple of Kukulcán, or El Castillo ("the castle"), dedicated to a feathered-serpent god. Chichén Itzá became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, and in 2007 the pyramid was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It is one of Mexico's most visited archaeological sites, drawing millions of people a year.
The pyramid of Kukulcán
El Castillo rises about 30 metres, counting the small temple on top, from nine square terraces. Each of its four sides has a staircase of about 91 steps; add the top platform as one last step and you get 365, the number of days in the Maya solar year. Archaeologists found that the pyramid was built over an older, smaller one. Inside that hidden temple they discovered a red jaguar-shaped throne with spots made of green jade. In 2015 scientists also found a water-filled cave, a cenote, beneath the pyramid.
The serpent of light
In the late afternoon around the spring and autumn equinoxes, the pyramid's corner casts a row of triangle-shaped shadows onto the side of the north staircase. Together with the carved serpent heads at the bottom, they look like a giant snake wriggling down the steps. Thousands of visitors gather to watch it. Many people believe the Maya planned this on purpose, but researchers point out that the effect can be seen for several weeks, so it is still debated whether it was deliberate.
Life in the ancient city
Chichén Itzá was linked by nearly 100 paved roads called sacbeob, and its stone buildings were probably painted in bright reds, greens and blues. The city had at least 13 courts for the Mesoamerican ballgame. The Great Ball Court is the biggest in the ancient Americas, 168 metres long, with stone rings set high in its walls. People also threw offerings, such as gold, jade and pottery, into the Sacred Cenote, a deep natural well, as gifts to the rain god Chaac.
Fun facts
- El Castillo has 365 steps in total, one for each day of the year.
- If you clap your hands in front of El Castillo's staircase, the echo comes back as a chirp that some people say sounds like the call of the quetzal bird.
- The pyramid is like a set of nesting dolls: a smaller, older pyramid is hidden inside the one you can see.
- The Great Ball Court is so large that a soccer pitch would fit inside it with room to spare.
- Nearby water holes called cenotes lie along the buried rim of Chicxulub, a giant ancient impact crater hidden under the Yucatán.
On the globe
The model shows the great Maya pyramid of El Castillo in the Yucatán. Zoom in to see its stepped terraces and steep staircases, the stairs where the serpent-shaped shadow appears at the equinoxes.
Quiz time
Which is taller: Chichén Itzá or Tikal?
Show the answer
Tikal. (30 m vs 70 m) Tikal →
Nearby on the globe
Sources
- Read more on Wikipedia
- Chichen Itza — Wikipedia
- El Castillo, Chichen Itza — Wikipedia
- 치첸이트사 — 위키백과
- Chichen Itza — HISTORY.com
Updated: 2026-10-13