Cenote Shtolok - cenote Xtolok

MCJJ+4C Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The Sttolok Cenote in Chichen Itza got its name from the Maya word meaning “iguana,” which are very common in this region. We can still admire them on many buildings at other Maya archaeological sites such as Tulum and Uxmal. This cenote is located on the way to the ossuary group and is smaller in diameter than the Sacred Cenote, yet it was very important to the population of Chichen Itza as a water source. Around the Sttolok cenote, there are several small temples similar to the one that bears its name (the Sttolok temple); columns with reliefs have also been found nearby. The Sttolok cenote is situated opposite the temple of the same name on Sakba 15, which stretches from the Thousand Columns plaza to the Ossuary building group.

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More stories from Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

Castle or Temple of Kukulcán (El Templo de Kukulcán or El Castillo)

Chícharo 1, Agua Clara, 20263 Aguascalientes, Ags, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

El Templo, known as the Temple of Kukulcán (or simply Kukulcán), is a Mesoamerican step pyramid that rises in the center of the archaeological site of Chichén Itzá in the Mexican state of Yucatán. The Castle or Pyramid of Kukulcán is one of the tallest and most remarkable examples of Maya architecture. It was built during the heyday of the Itza-Cocom culture, at the time of the decline of Mayapán. Constructed by the pre-Columbian Maya civilization sometime between the 8th and 12th centuries AD, the building served as a temple to the deity Kukulcán, the feathered serpent god of the Yucatec Maya, closely associated with Quetzalcoatl, a deity known to the Aztecs and other cultures of central Mexico during the Postclassic period. Its foundation was likely built several centuries earlier.

Large ball game court - El gran juego de pelota

MCMH+QX Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

Археологи обнаружили тринадцать мячевых площадок в Чичен-Ице, но Великая мячевaя площадка, расположенная примерно в 150 метрах к северо-западу от Эль-Кастильо, является самой впечатляющей. Это самая большая и лучше всего сохранившаяся мячевaя площадка в древней Мезоамерике, размеры которой составляют 168 на 70 метров.

Temple of the Bearded Man - Templo del Hombre Barbado

MCPJ+32 Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

At the northern end of the Great Ballcourt is the Northern Temple, also known as the Temple of the Bearded Man (Templo del Hombre Barbado). The Temple of the Bearded Man is the best-preserved building surrounding the Great Ballcourt. It got its name from the depiction of a strange bearded man.

Southern Temple of the Great Ballgame Court - Templo Sur del juego de pelota

MCMH+GV Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The South Temple of the Great Ballcourt at Chichen Itza is unfortunately heavily damaged, likely due to its large size. It had pilasters supporting a roof that served to protect the higher-ranking individuals from the sun and rainy days. Built in the style of the ballcourt, this building has a rectangular shape measuring 25 meters in length and 8 meters in width.

Temple of the Jaguar - El Templo del Jaguar

MCMJ+J2 Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The Jaguar Temple in Chichen Itza was built between 1000 and 1150 AD. It got its name from the images of jaguars located in front of the structure. The temple consists of several levels covered with intricate carvings and various types of images. Two giant feathered snakes form columns in the vestibule, while the interior walls are richly decorated with stone.

Tzompantli or Skull Platform (Tzompantli)

Chícharo 1, Agua Clara, 20263 Aguascalientes, Ags, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

In the middle of the ruins of Chichen Itza, there is a wall completely covered with skull carvings, known as a tzompantli (or skull rack, wall of skulls, banner of skulls, etc.). The tzompantli in Chichen Itza is dedicated to the dead and can be found at various Maya archaeological sites. It is one of the oldest tzompantlis ever discovered. Another version consisted of a wooden structure on which real skulls were placed after holes were drilled into them. These skulls usually belonged to prisoners of war or sacrificial victims.

The Platform of the Eagles and the Jaguars (La Plataforma de las Águilas y los Jaguares)

Chícharo 1, Agua Clara, 20263 Aguascalientes, Ags, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

Venus Platform - Templo de Venus

Chícharo 1, Agua Clara, 20263 Aguascalientes, Ags, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The Platform of Venus is another well-preserved Toltec-style structure on the Great Plaza at Chichen Itza, located in front of the main part of the Kukulkan pyramid and beside the Temple of the Eagles and Jaguars. It is a platform with a square layout, more than 25 meters on each side, featuring four staircases bordered by balustrades.

Temple of the Tables - Templo de las Mesas

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The Temple of the Tables got its name because of the overlapping levels that resemble tables and create the appearance of a plateau. Built next to the Temple of the Warriors, it is a small four-tiered pyramid that was previously topped with a temple featuring two serpent-shaped columns. Its form echoes the structure of the much larger Temple of the Warriors.

Temple of the Warriors in Chechen Itza - Templo de los Guerreros

Chícharo 1, Agua Clara, 20263 Aguascalientes, Ags, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

At the top of the temple is a statue of Chak Mool, depicting a reclining figure resting on its elbows, with bent knees and the head turned at a 90-degree angle, holding a bowl or disk on its stomach. Chak 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.

Group (Temple) of a Thousand Columns - El Templo de Las Mil Columnas

Chícharo 1, Agua Clara, 20263 Aguascalientes, Ags, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The Group of a Thousand Columns in Chichen Itza is actually a temple, a very beautiful and impressive structure connected to the Temple of the Warriors, which got its name because it appears to have many columns, but in reality, there are only about 200. This is what remains of a building that likely had a flat roof, according to Toltec customs. Additionally, in the Group of a Thousand Columns, new elements are added to the traditional Mayan pyramidal structures, formed by colonnades of astonishing lightness and iconographic elements related to military orders and the cult of the Feathered Serpent.

Market - El Mercado

MCMM+34 Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The building traditionally called the Market was most likely used as a public space. It is difficult to determine whether it was constructed specifically to be a true market, but its appearance suggests just that. Columns supported a roof made of leaves or wood. As with the "Thousand Columns," it is believed that the friezes installed in the market create an impression less threatening than the jaguars and snakes of the Temple of the Warriors. For this reason, it was thought that the use of buildings in this area was utilitarian rather than ceremonial.

Ossuary or Tomb of the High Priest (El Osario or Tumba del Gran Sacerdote)

Osario, Yucatán, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The ossuary in Chichen Itza is also known as the tomb of the High Priest. This structure stands over 10 meters tall and consists of nine staggered sections, very similar to the Pyramid of Kukulkan, with the difference that it is shorter in height and has a frieze covered with mythological reliefs, decorated at the corners with images of the god Chaac, as in the Temple of the Warriors and the Temple of Venus.

Tomb Platform - Plataforma de las Tumbas

Dance Platform, Yucatán, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The platform-tomb in Chichen Itza has three chambers that contained human remains, which is the reason why it was called the platform-tomb.

Temple Shtolok - Templo Xtoloc

MCJJ+5C Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The Temple of Stholok in Chichen Itza got its name because it is located next to the cenote of the same name, the second largest cenote in the center of Chichen Itza.

House of the Deer - La Casa del Venado

Osario, Yucatán, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The Deer House in Chichen Itza is almost completely destroyed, with only one fully intact room and the entrance to another, which no longer exists, remaining.

Chichanchob or Red House (Chichanchob or Casa Colorada)

Osario, Yucatán, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

Chichanchob in Chichen Itza is the largest and best-preserved of the four buildings surrounding the plaza. Chichanchob translates as "little holes" from the Maya language chi'ich'ichan, meaning "little," and ch'ob, "hole," possibly due to the small holes in the ridge. It is also widely known as the Red House "Casa Colorada" because of the red stripe painted inside the vestibule or first chamber.

Observatory - El Caracol (The Observatory)

MCHH+PM Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The observatory in Chichen Itza, also known as El Caracol, is a circular structure very similar to those found in other parts of Mesoamerica. The observatory is a building constructed as a large round tower set on a platform with a central staircase. Through the upper observation windows, one can see the equinoxes, sunsets, solstices, the position of Venus and other stars, and the results of these observations influenced many decisions and actions taken by the ruling class.

Women’s Monastery - The Great Ensemble of the Nuns

MCHH+6F Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The nunnery or women's monastery is the name given to complexes of Maya buildings, for example, in Uxmal. The Spanish conquistadors were the ones who assigned the names to most of the buildings. The monastery consists of several buildings, one of which is constructed in the Puuc style; however, the facade of the building itself, facing east, is not in this style but rather in the Chenes style, which is widespread in the region under that name. This region is located in the northeast of the state of Campeche.

Church - La Iglesia

MCHH+7J Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

La Iglesia or the church is the temple of Chaac, the rain god. This small building is located in the oldest part of the archaeological excavations of Chichen Itza, near the Monastery. The temple has a rectangular layout and consists of a single vaulted room and a door leading to the main part of the building, very similar to a rectangular chapel, which is why the Spaniards called it the Church. When the church in Chichen Itza was first discovered, this building was distinguished by its high state of preservation as well as the richness and beauty of its decoration.

The House of Mysterious Writings Akab Dzib (Ak'ab Dzib)

MCHJ+74 Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The name Akab Dzib in the Mayan language means "House of Mysterious Writings," not because of "dark spells resembling incantations," but because they have not yet been deciphered. These undeciphered hieroglyphs were found on the lintel of one of the interior doors in the southern part of the building, in front of a sculpture of a priest sitting on a throne.

Sacred Cenote - Cenote Sagrado

Chichén Itzá, Yuc., Mexico

Maya Cities of Mexico - Chichen Itza

The cenote still holds incredible stories; in 1998, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage site. It is connected to the most famous building of Chichen Itza—the Kukulkan Pyramid—by a 300-meter-long road. The Maya who inhabited it used it for performing religious sacrifices as a tribute to their gods. Additionally, during the ritual, they also threw clay pottery and jewelry into the bottom. On its shore, a platform has been preserved to this day, from which it is believed that girls were thrown into the water.