Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is one of the most important Maya cities on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, about 2.5 kilometres from the town of Pisté. It served as both an urban centre and a ceremonial hub, built in multiple phases and shaped by the different peoples who occupied it; the major structures standing today date from the Late Classic through Early Postclassic periods (roughly 800–1100 CE). UNESCO inscribed the site as a World Heritage Site in 1988, and in 2007 the Temple of Kukulcán — known colloquially as El Castillo — was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The city's name in Maya means "at the mouth of the well of the Itza," a reference to the Sacred Cenote regarded as an entrance to the underworld. Beneath the crowds that stream past these stone plazas, every pyramid, platform, and colonnade holds a story that most visitors walk right by.
Mexico · 49 The overlooked corners inside
The overlooked corners inside
El Castillo (Temple of Kukulcán)
Stand at the base of the north staircase and clap once: the echo bounces back off the stepped faces as a sharp, chirping trill — remarkably close to the call of a quetzal bird. Tour guides stumbled onto this acoustic effect in the late twentieth century. The stepped pyramid has nine platforms and a temple at the summit, with a central staircase on each of its four sides. It is dedicated to Kukulcán, the Maya feathered serpent deity, though the Spanish name the conquistadors gave it — *El Castillo*, "the castle" — has stuck. The entire structure is a stone calendar: each of the four staircases has 91 steps, and together with the top platform they add up to exactly 365, one for every day of the year.
Sources: es.wikipedia.org
Sacred Cenote
Follow the sacbé (raised causeway) about 300 metres north from the pyramid and the ground opens into a circular sinkhole 60 metres across — the Sacred Cenote. Its vertical limestone walls drop some 15 metres from the rim to the water surface. In Maya, this type of natural well is called *ts'ono'ot*, meaning "cave with water"; it forms when the roof of a limestone cavern collapses and groundwater pools beneath. The Itza and later the Xiu people are said to have made offerings here to the gods — ceramics and jewellery cast into the depths as part of ritual sacrifice.
Sources: es.wikipedia.org
Northeast Colonnade (Columnata Noreste)
The Northeast Colonnade forms part of the outer ring of the Temple of the Warriors complex and belongs to the larger grouping called the Group of a Thousand Columns (*Grupo de las Mil Columnas*). The columns here extend along the south wall of the Warriors' temple, divided into west, north, and northeast sections that together once supported an extensive roofed corridor. The shafts in the northeast section are carved with relief figures of warriors, consistent with the military iconography of the rest of the complex — characteristic of Chichen Itza's Postclassic architecture.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Platform of Venus (Plataforma de Venus)
The Platform of Venus sits north of El Castillo along the sacbé leading to the Sacred Cenote — a low, square platform easy to walk past without stopping. Archaeologists found a collection of large stone-carved cone-shaped objects inside it; their purpose is still unknown. The platform is believed to have been a ceremonial space dedicated to Venus, which held a central place in Maya cosmology, closely linked to warfare and to the imagery of the feathered serpent deity Kukulcán.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Ball Court
This ball court is one of thirteen at Chichen Itza, forming a complex alongside the Temple of the Jaguars, the Temple of the Bearded Man, and the Temple of Eagles and Jaguars. The architecture blends what scholars call the "Yucatán Maya" style — combining Puuc regional traditions with the militarism and Kukulcán cult that began radiating into Maya territory during the Late Classic period, sparking a cultural renewal across Yucatán. The carvings and paintings on the court walls vividly embody this synthesis of architecture, sculpture, and painting. This is the most direct place to understand how the Itza's arrival transformed the religious landscape.
Sources: es.wikipedia.org
Skull Rack (Tzompantli)
The Skull Rack (*Tzompantli*) stands just east of the ball court and is one of Chichen Itz… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Temple of the Jaguars (Templo de los Jaguares)
The Temple of the Jaguars is built directly into the east wall of the ball court and rises… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Platform of Eagles and Jaguars (Plataforma de las Águilas y los Jaguares)
The Platform of Eagles and Jaguars stands close to the east side of the Great Ball Court… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Temple of the Large Tables (Templo de las Grandes Mesas)
The Temple of the Large Tables (*Templo de las Grandes Mesas*, literally "temple of the la… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Market
Early explorers saw the colonnaded halls and central courtyard of this square building and… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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High Priest's Grave (El Osario)
At first glance El Osario looks like a scaled-down version of El Castillo — a four-sided s… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
El Caracol Observatory
El Caracol is Chichen Itza's most distinctive building — a round tower rising from a broad… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Temple of the Sculptured Panels (Templo de los Tableros Esculpidos)
The Temple of the Sculptured Panels (*Templo de los Tableros Esculpidos*, "temple of the r… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
La Iglesia (The Church)
La Iglesia — "The Church" — adjoins the Nunnery (*Las Monjas*) on its east side and is a s… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
House of the Deer (Casa del Venado)
The House of the Deer (*Casa del Venado*) belongs to the group of structures around the Re… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Red House (Chichanchob)
The Red House (*Casa Colorada*) is one of the best-preserved buildings at Chichen Itza. Th… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Steam Bath (Baño de Vapor)
The Steam Bath (*Baño de Vapor*) is one of the site's structurally unusual buildings, comp… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Temple of the Warriors (Templo de los Guerreros)
The Temple of the Warriors is one of Chichen Itza's largest structures and its strongest a… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Akab Dzib
Akab Dzib stands in the central building group, just east of El Caracol, and is one of the… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Group of a Thousand Columns (Grupo de las Mil Columnas)
The Group of a Thousand Columns is a vast field of stone columns extending south from the… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Temple of the Bearded Man (Templo del Hombre Barbado)
The Temple of the Bearded Man (*Templo Norte / del Hombre Barbado*) stands at the north en… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Platform of the Tombs
Also labeled "3C4," the Platform of the Tombs earned its common name from the three burial… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Temple of Xtoloc (Templo Xtoloc)
The Temple of Xtoloc is a recently restored structure overlooking Chichen Itza's second ce… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Temple of Kukulcán (Templo de Kukulkán)
This Temple of Kukulcán is a different, smaller ceremonial structure from the famous El Ca… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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South Temple
This temple at the southern end of the Great Ball Court (Templo Sur del Juego de Pelota) i… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Ball Court of the Red House (Juego de Pelota de la Casa Colorada)
The Ball Court of the Red House (*Juego de Pelota de la Casa Colorada*) is one of Chichen… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Nunnery (Las Monjas)
The Nunnery (*Las Monjas*) is Chichen Itza's most important Classic-period building comple… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Great Ball Court
The Great Ball Court is one of Chichen Itza's defining structures and a record of how reli… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: es.wikipedia.org
Temple of the Jaguars (Templo del Jaguar)
The Temple of the Jaguars (*Templo del Jaguar*), built between 1000 and 1150 CE, is set di… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: es.wikipedia.org
South Temple of the Ball Court (Templo Sur del Juego de Pelota)
The South Temple of the Ball Court (*Templo Sur del Juego de Pelota*) stands at the south… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Temple of the Bearded Man (Templo del Hombre Barbado)
The Temple of the Bearded Man (*Templo del Hombre Barbado*) is the best-preserved of all t… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: es.wikipedia.org
Temple of Eagles and Jaguars (Templo de las Águilas y Jaguares)
The Temple of Eagles and Jaguars (*Templo de las Águilas y Jaguares*) is the smallest buil… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: es.wikipedia.org
Venus Temple (Templo de Venus)
The outer panels of the Venus Temple (*Templo de Venus*) carry Venus glyphs rendered in th… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: es.wikipedia.org
Sacred Cenote (Cenote Sagrado)
This natural limestone sinkhole is called a *cenote* because the Maya word for such a well… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: es.wikipedia.org
Temple of the Tables (Templo de las Mesas)
The Temple of the Tables (*Templo de las Mesas*) stands immediately beside the Temple of t… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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North Colonnade (Pilares del Norte)
The North Colonnade (*Pilares del Norte*) is the central element of the column group flank… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: es.wikipedia.org
El Osario (The Ossuary)
El Osario — also called the High Priest's Temple — stands over ten metres tall, built of n… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: es.wikipedia.org
Venus Platform (Plataforma Venus)
The Venus Platform (*Plataforma Venus*) is similar in form to the Venus Temple near the Gr… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: es.wikipedia.org
Red House (Chichanchob / Casa Colorada)
The Red House (*Chichanchob*, also known as *Casa Colorada*) is the largest and best-prese… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: es.wikipedia.org
El Caracol Observatory (Snail Tower)
El Caracol — the "Snail Tower" — is a round structure with parallels at other Mesoamerican… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: es.wikipedia.org
Nunnery Complex (Complejo de las Monjas)
The Nunnery Complex (*Complejo de las Monjas*) faces north and consists of three buildings… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Discovery of an Atlantean Figure
This *Atlantean* figure was discovered in the Chichen Itza archaeological zone and dates t… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Great Ball Court
Archaeologists have identified thirteen ball courts at Chichen Itza used for the Mesoameri… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Other Structures
The Skull Rack (*Tzompantli*) follows the tradition of central Mexico, but Chichen Itza's… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
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Temple of the Warriors
The Temple of the Warriors is a large stepped pyramid whose front and sides are lined with… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Ossuary Group (Osario Group)
The Ossuary Group (*Osario Group*) sits south of the northern building cluster, a smaller… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Red House Group (Casa Colorada Group)
The Red House Group (*Casa Colorada Group*) lies south of the Ossuary Group, and the build… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Central Group
The Central Group's core is the Nunnery complex (*Las Monjas*), a set of Terminal Classic… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Old Chichen (Chichén Viejo)
Old Chichen (*Chichén Viejo*) is the collective name for a group of buildings in the site'… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
FAQ
What overlooked corners are worth seeing inside Chichen Itza?
El Castillo (Temple of Kukulcán), Sacred Cenote, Northeast Colonnade (Columnata Noreste) and more — 49 spots in all, each with sources and a guide in your language to read or listen to on the spot.
Is the Chichen Itza guide free?
The first 5 spots are free to read; the other 44 unlock with a one-time purchase (not a subscription).