Chichen Itza is the largest of the ruined Mayan cities on the Yucatan Peninsula and is considered as one of the most visited tourist spots of Mexico.

In the early period, stone temples and palaces were constructed in the traditional Puuc Maya style. These buildings can be found in the so called “old Chichen” a section of the city and few are dedicated to the rain God Chac.

In the following centuries, Chichen Itza saw its greatest growth and soon became the most powerful city in Yucatan. Most of the grand architecture was built during this century, in a mixture of Toltec and Maya styles. The new ruler called himself a “Kukulcan” which happens to be the name of the Mesoamerican Feathered Serpent God “Quetzalcoatl” and then Chichen suddenly became a center for worship of that God as well.

Sometime at the end of the 12^th century, the city was then captured its rival and neighbour, the city of Mayapan. By that time, the Chichen was not forsaken, but as political power shifted elsewhere, it declined and no new major buildings were constructed. The Chichen Itza remained a place of pilgrimage for the Maya until it was subjugated by the Spanish Conquistadors in the late 16th century.

The structures of Chichen Itza were overgrowth with tropical rain forest and slowly rotten until major archaeological excavations began in the 1920s. Truly the Chichen Itza is one of the best tourist destinations not only in Mexico but is around the world.

Did you know? That the construction of Chichen Itza began in the 7^th century and the city has reached its peak after the arrival of the Toltecs in the 10^th century. And it can take you a whole day to see the extensive ruins of Chichen Itza, which occupy 2.5 square miles.

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