The Temple of the Warriors in Chichen Itza was built around 1200 AD. It is one of the most beautiful and well-preserved buildings, standing 12 meters tall and 41 meters wide. Overall, its design shares characteristics with the Temple of Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli in Tula, the capital of the Toltec state; mainly because it was built by the relatively new Maya-Toltec culture that originated here in Chichen Itza. The same general concept of a pyramid, on which the great sanctuary is situated, the same presence of Chac Mool at the entrance, the recurring ornament of eagles and jaguars on the steps, the same columns shaped like snakes with heads on the ground and open jaws, while their bodies form the shaft and tails support the lintel of the entrance porch. Finally, at the base of the pyramid are uniform columns with engravings of warriors. At the top is a statue of Chac Mool, depicting a reclining figure resting on its elbows, knees bent, and head turned at a 90-degree angle, with a bowl or disk on its stomach.

Chac Mools were considered messengers of the gods and were used to conduct religious offerings in the raised flat plate on the figure’s stomach. Some suggest that this is where the beating hearts of sacrifices were placed as a spectacle for the crowds below, in the plaza.

The Temple of the Warriors at Chichen Itza, like El Castillo, was preceded by an earlier structure found within the current temple grounds, called the Temple of Chac Mool, but the Temple of the Warriors is a more ambitious project than the earlier building. This structure is preserved inside the Temple of the Warriors. Inside was a statue of Chac Mool, dressed in something like a helmet and belt, from which human heads hung. It should be noted that the name “Chac Mool” does not belong to the Maya: it was coined by the American researcher Augustus Le Plongeon. The name “Chac Mool” in the Yucatec Maya language means “great red jaguar.” This type of figure first appeared in Mesoamerica in the early Postclassic period and is associated with the Toltecs. Most known Chac Mool statues have been found in places such as Tula and Chichen Itza. The new temple is larger on the outside and more spacious inside to encompass a greater internal area while maintaining the basic two-room design; a second row of rectangular columns was added along both the inner and outer rooms. The outer room contained six columns in each of the two rows, while the inner room has two rows of the traditional four columns. In no other structure of this type in Chichen Itza were vaults supported by more than four columns in a single row. The two additional columns in each row were not necessary to support the vaults, as both rooms have the same width. The builders added the extra columns purely for design reasons. Whatever the reasons for this decision, the architects created a building unique in Chichen Itza.

The facade of the Temple of the Warriors consists of a sloping and vertical wall, resembling a frieze, interrupted by the main entrance, and decorated on each side with a board featuring three overlapping masks of Chac, one of which depicts the god Kukulkan emerging from the mouth of a feathered serpent with a forked tongue, and three other Chac masks in the corner, one above the other, with curved and protruding noses. Then another smooth frieze between two molded cornices, ending with battlements on the roof, of which nothing remains. On the platform and in front of the main entrance stands a Chac Mool, who, although long considered a god, is more likely an intermediary between the Supreme God and people, so that he could receive the offerings they brought.

The Temple of the Warriors in Chichen Itza is located on the Great Plaza right next to the Temple of the Tables and to the right of the main side of the Kukulkan pyramid.

Sources:

Thomas H. Wilson: Architecture and Chronology at Chichén Itzá, Yucatán

https://www.theyucatantimes.com/2020/01/the-chichen-itza-series-the-temple-of-the-warriors-1/