Chichen Itza, a ruined ancient Maya city covering an area of 4 square miles (10 square kilometers) in the south-central state of Yucatan, Mexico. It is believed to have been a religious, military, political, and commercial center, with a population of 35,000 at its peak. Settlers first appeared at this site in 550 AD, likely attracted by easy access to water through caves and sinkholes in the limestone formations known as cenotes. Most of the city's structures were completed in the early Postclassic period (around 900-1200 AD). In the late Postclassic period (around 1200-1540 AD), Chichen Itza was apparently defeated by the forces of the city of Mayapan and for a time united with Uxmal and Mayapan in a political confederation known as the League of Mayapan. Around 1450, the League and Mayapan’s political dominance collapsed. When the Spanish invaded the region in the 16th century, the Maya lived in many small towns, but large cities, including Chichen Itza, were largely abandoned. Long covered by jungle, Chichen Itza remained sacred to the Maya. Excavations began in the 19th century, and the site became one of Mexico’s major archaeological zones. A legendary tradition at Chichen Itza was the cult of the cenote, involving human sacrifices to the rain god Chaac, during which victims were thrown into the main city cenote (at the northernmost part of the ruins) along with gold and jade ornaments and other valuables. In 1904, Edward Herbert Thompson, an American who purchased the entire site, began dredging the cenote; his discovery of skeletons and sacrificial items confirmed the legend.

Jermaine