Castle of Kukulkan

This is the main building of the Mayapan archaeological excavations, considered a smaller copy of the Kukulkan pyramid in Chichen Itza. It is a stepped pyramid formed by nine foundations with rounded corners, and at the top are the remains of a temple. The base measures 30 meters on each side and is 18 meters high. The northern facade is the main one, featuring snakes similar to those in Chichen Itza, which, unfortunately, have been lost. The difference is that those found in Mayapan were carved not in stone, but from plaster. Here you can also see the phenomenon of light and shadow, a wavy projection of the snake’s body, similar to the phenomenon in Chichen Itza, where the sun illuminates the staircase, imitating the descent of Kukulkan. The difference is that this occurs during two solstices, one on June 21 and the other on December 21; however, it does not look as impressive as in Chichen Itza due to the poor preservation of the structure. In Chichen Itza, this happens only once a year, during the summer solstice.

Regarding the calendar represented by the number of steps, it is also different. This pyramid has 65 steps on each side, totaling 260 days according to the Tzolk'in calendar. In the southeast corner of the pyramid, there is a substructure where you can see molded plaster images of beheaded warriors.

“They spoke and firmly believed that on the last day Kukulkan descends from the heavens and receives services, vigils, and offerings. They called this celebration Chicaban...” wrote Diego de Landa in the book “Account of the Affairs in Yucatan.”