Chichen Itza is an archaeological site in Yucatan and one of the most visited locations in Mexico. Rich in history and the centre of pilgrimage for the ancient Maya civilization for over 1,000 years, Chichen Itza is full of interesting facts. Read on to find out more about this intriguing place.
1. Chichen Itza is classified as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World and in 1988 was enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
2. The term Chichen Itza means ‘the mouth at the well of Itza’. It is believed Itza means ‘water magicians’, deriving from the Mayan Itz for ‘magic’ and á for ‘water’.
3. El Castillo (the Temple of Kukulkan) is the famous pyramid which dominates the site of Chichen Itza and it actually sits on another much older temple.
4. Believed by archaeologists to have been a powerful economic city around 600 AD, the fall of Chichen Itza is thought to have been approximately 1000 AD.
5. The design and layout of Chichen Itza was clearly well planned and builders constructed temples and pyramids in sets of clusters.
6. The four most well-known clusters are the Great North Platform, the Ossario Group, the Central Group and the Old Chichen, which is not open to the public. The Great North Platform is home to the most visited sites of Chichen Itza, including the Kukulkan Pyramid, the Great Ball Court and the Temple of the Jaguars.
7. During the Spring (20th of March) and Autumn Equinox (22nd September), the sun’s rays create a shadow across the Kukulkan Pyramid that gives the appearance of a serpent slithering down the staircase.
8. Located on the north side of the Kukulkan Pyramid is a platform dedicated to the planet Venus. The Mayans were devoted astronomers and the movements of Venus held special meaning to them, with it influencing the architecture of the ancient Mayan city Uxmal.
9. Although the Kukulkan Pyramid is the most famous and most visited, there are numerous others in Chichen Itza. The Osario is very similar but smaller in size and at the centre is an opening to a natural cave.
10. Many of the sites in Chichen Itza are known for their unusual sounds. If you clap once from one end of the Ball Court, it produces nine echoes in the middle of the court. Additionally, a clap in front of the Kukulkan Pyramid creates an echo resembling the serpent’s chirp.
February 19, 2018 at 6:08 pm
Hi Elizabeth, thank you for your interest in working for On The Go Tours. You can view our current job vacancies here: https://www.onthegotours.com/Join-our-team
August 3, 2018 at 2:46 am
I highly recommend it. I have visited twice and if i can give any advice is this. Land in Merida or Cancun and depart from opposite city that you land on. What i have done is land in Merida go straight to see Uxmal (50 min from Merida) while I am waiting for hotel check in time and enjoy a night or two then head to Chichen Itza…sleep in the neighboring town called Valladolid then the next morning check out Ek Balam and Coba on the same day then sleep in Tulum then see the ruins in Tulum and the next day you hit Cancun for some fun and relaxation time…then fly home If you are up for it check out Explor it is an amazing amusement park build on million year old caves.
January 19, 2020 at 10:57 pm
we did the same, both were amazing.
October 8, 2018 at 6:52 pm
Mexico is absolutely on my list! I love those ancient historic places-
Lovely post, really enjoyed reading this! The history behind chichen itza is so fascinating. Thanks for sharing this post
January 31, 2019 at 2:10 am
Me too
January 31, 2019 at 1:58 am
Aztec is my Favorite civilization #Aztec is the best civilization #Mexico is great #Aztec/Mexico!
this history behind chichen itza was blowing up my mind it was Amazing, Thanks for sharing this!!!
July 4, 2019 at 11:57 am
This was helpful ty sm
September 19, 2019 at 3:29 am
Thanks for all the facts doods i used this in my Spanish class for some reason…
April 28, 2022 at 7:17 am
Thanks for this I did this for a school project , and I didn’t do anything this was the last day so I just copied and paste
December 19, 2022 at 10:35 pm
I now want to go to Mexico
March 1, 2023 at 11:30 am
Hi is anyone here for school stuff?
March 1, 2023 at 11:31 am
me tooooooo