Chichen Itza

Step 4

Visit the Pyramid of Kukulcan, also known as El Castillo. This is the most famous of the Mayan Pyramid, and was voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2007. Check to see if climbing the pyramid is permitted before doing so, as climbing is periodically banned.

Step 5

See the Cenote of Sacrifice, one of the famous flooded sinkholes of the Yucatan. This is also where the Mayans sacrificed human victims to their rain god.

Step 6

Visit the other ancient sites of the lost city of Chichen Itza, such as the seven ball courts. One of those is the largest of its kind in Mesoamerica. There are also many other temples, palaces, and zumbul, or sweat lodges.




If you can't make it during the equinox don't worry as this is recreated nightly in the awesome sound and light show after dusk.
Chichen Itza was built around 600AD which is almost 1,500 years ago! The main pyramid El Castillo has 91 steps on each of it's four side leading to the throne room at the top making a total of 365. The pyramid was actually built on top of a smaller pyramid and this was only discovered as recently as the 1930's and contained a Chac Mool statue and a temple in the shape of a Jaguar.

At the present time you are no longer allowed to climb El Castillo, often this is attributed to structural damage from Hurricane Wilma in 2005, but of course Chichen Itza survived Wilma just as it has survived other hurricanes for thousands of years. Sadly, the true reasons are erosion from thousands of feet on the steps, graffiti carved into the temple at the summit and accidents where people have either accidentally fallen or deliberately jumped from the top.
El Castillo isn't the only interesting feature to be found at Chichen Itza. The Mayan Ballpark, the Temple of the Warriors, the Cenote of Sacrifice and the Observatory provide other spectacular scenes from a world long forgotten

Tour Attractions

The ancient Mayan civilization of Chichen Itza is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (unesco.org), located on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. It features several ancient monuments, buildings, and artistic works of art. Popular sights to see include El Castillo's stepped pyramid, the warrior's temple and El Caracol's circular observatory. Other sights to consider exploring are the underwater "Cenote" grotto, the Skull Wall, Temple of the Jaguar, House of the Eagles and many more tombs and temples.