Chichén Itzá

Many ancient civilizations have influenced and inspired people in the 21st century, like the Greeks and the Romans, but of all the world’s civilizations, none have intrigued people more than the Mayans, whose culture, astronomy, language, and mysterious disappearance all continue to captivate people.

At the heart of the fascination is the most visited and the most spectacular of Late Classic Maya cities: Chichén Itzá.

Chichén Itzá was inhabited for hundreds of years and was a very influential center in the later years of Maya civilization.

At its height, Chichén Itzá may have had over 30,000 inhabitants, and with a spectacular pyramid, enormous ball court, observatory, and several temples, the builders of this city exceeded even those at Uxmal in developing the use of columns and exterior relief decoration.

Of particular interest at Chichén Itzá is the sacred cenote, a sinkhole that was a focus for Maya rituals around water. Because adequate supplies of water, which rarely collected on the surface of the limestone-based Yucatan, were essential for adequate agricultural production, the Maya here considered it of primary importance.

Underwater archaeology carried out in the cenote at Chichén Itzá revealed that offerings to the Maya rain deity Chaac (which may have included people) were tossed into the sinkhole.

Although Chichén Itzá was around for hundreds of years, it had a relatively short period of dominance in the region, lasting from about 800-950 CE.

Chichén Itzá was partially abandoned in 948, and the culture of the Maya survived in a disorganized way until it was revived at Mayapán around 1200.

Why Maya cities were abandoned and left to be overgrown by the jungle is a puzzle that intrigues people around the world today, especially those who have a penchant for speculating on lost civilizations.


Source:
The Most Famous Cities of the Maya: The History of Chichén Itzá, Tikal, Mayapán, and Uxmal by Jesse Harasta