Where Chichen Itza is located?

Yucatán, Mexico
Overview of Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico. Chichén Itzá is located some 90 miles (150 km) east-northeast of Uxmal and 75 miles (120 km) east-southeast of the modern city of Mérida.

Why was Chichen Itza abandoned?

Though they left behind amazing works of architecture and art, the city’s inhabitants left no known record of why they abandoned their homes. Scientists speculate that droughts, exhausted soils, and royal quests for conquest and treasure may have contributed to Chichén Itzá’s downfall.

Is Chichen Itza in South America?

In the north of the Yu-catan Peninsula, Mexico, South America, lie the ancient ruins of the Mayan city of ‘Chichen Itza’ (meaning “at the mouth of the well of the Itza”), which is located in Tinúm Municipality (Yucatan State) some 38 kilometers (24 miles) to the west of Valladolid on the 180 road – just to the …

How do I get to Chichen Itza?

How do you get to Chichén Itzá? We suggest flying into Merida or Cancun and then taking our Chichén Itzá tour or hiring a car. The journey takes around two to three hours by car. Our specialists recommend spending a full day at the site to fully explore without rushing.

What airport is closest to Chichen Itza?

The nearest airport to Chichén-Itzá is Merida (MID) Airport which is 117.8 km away. Other nearby airports include Cancun (CUN) (180.7 km).

Where is the Mayan Temple located?

There are hundreds of Mayan ruins throughout Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Guatemala, but the Yucatan Peninsula (where Tulum, Playa del Carmen and Cancun are) have some of the most impressive ruins.

What is Chichen Itza known for?

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.

Is Chichen Itza a wonder of the world?

Chichen Itza is an archaeological site in the Yucatan state in Mexico built by the Maya and is one of the most popular attractions there with over 2.6 million tourists in 2017 alone. It’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new seven wonders of the world.

Who built the Chichen Itza temple?

the Maya
Who built Chichen Itza? Chichen Itza was founded by the Maya, an ancient people native to the Yucatan Peninsula. Historians believe that Chichen Itza was built due to its close proximity to the Xtoloc cenote. Chichen Itza was founded by the Maya, an ancient people inhabiting the Yucutan peninsula.

What is inside Chichen Itza?

Further excavations revealed that it had nine platforms, a single stairway, and a temple containing human remains, a jade-studded jaguar throne, and a so-called Chac Mool. The Chac Mool is a type of Maya sculpture of an abstract male figure reclining and holding a bowl used as a receptacle for sacrifices.

Are there still Mayans in Mexico?

It’s not surprising to assume ancient peoples have vanished when we see vast empty ruins such as Chichen Itza in the heart of the Yucatán Peninsula. But there are some seven million Maya still alive today in Mexico and Guatemala, many of them native speakers of Mayan rather than Spanish.

Can you climb on Chichen Itza?

Nope, you can’t climb anything at Chichen itza. And like Tulum, many of the monuments have rope barriers so you can’t touch them. You can climb a monument at Coba, Ek Balam, and Uxmal. But there are dozens of other sites where you climb everywhere and explore, but most of these are barely excavated.

How old is the Chichen Itza?

Some accounts place the establishment of the city in the early 400s A.D., while others suggest construction started a few years later, in the middle part of the fifth century.

When did Chichen Itza fall?

1200 CE
Chichen Itza fell into a rapid decline from 1200 CE, and Mayapán became the new capital.

Why was Chichen Itza made for kids?

The Mayans may have chosen to build Chichen Itza where they did due to the large sinkholes nearby that provided water all year round. Castillo means ‘castle’ in Spanish. The Mayans living in Chichen Itza would’ve been sculptors, jewellers and potters. Chichen Itza is the second most popular site for visitors in Mexico.

What is at the top of Chichen Itza?

What is at the top of Chichen Itza? La Pirámide, known as the Temple of Kukulcán (or also just as Kukulcán), is a Mesoamerican step-pyramid that dominates the center of the Chichen Itza archaeological site in the Mexican state of Yucatán.

Who destroyed Chichen Itza?

According to some colonial Mayan sources (e.g., the Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel), Hunac Ceel, ruler of Mayapan, conquered Chichen Itza in the 13th century.

Why does Chichen Itza have 91 steps?

The Pyramid of El Castillo in Chichén Itzá was built to reflect the Mayan astronomical year. Each side has 91 steps with a final step at the top, so there are 365 steps total. The Pyramid was constructed so that it marks the equinoxes—the two days of the year when there are equal amounts of day and night.

Who invaded Chichen Itza?

Shortly before AD 1000, it was invaded by the Toltecs, a people from the north. The Toltecs had settled at Tula, near modern-day Mexico City, around AD 900 under the rule of a king named Topiltzin. Topiltzin also took the name of Quetzalcoatl, or “Feathered Serpent,” the name of an Aztec god.

Is Chichen Itza Free?

Wondering how much it is to enter Chichen Itza? The entrance fee at Chichen Itza is: $539 Pesos per adult, Kids under 13 years are admitted free. The entrance fee to the site is divided into two amounts, one being the state (culture) and the second being the federal (INAH). The fees are paid at two separate windows.