Chichen Itza, located in the Yucatan Peninsula, is perhaps one of the most visited tourist sights in all of Mexico. Situated only two hours from Cancun (by car), here you will find ruins of what once was a powerful Mayan capital. The city includes what remains of palaces, temples, altars, the largest known Mayan Ballpark, and the impressive Pyramid of Kukulcan, which recently was voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Due to its extensive ruins and irreplaceable pre-Hispanic architecture, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1989. People, from all over the world, flock to this park to witness the stone remains of a long-gone civilization; and even though, they all come here for different reasons, all leave equally the same: mesmerized. The first thing you will encounter when entering this park, is the towering Pyramid of Kukulcan, it’s impossible to miss because it’s such an imposing sight, but there so much more to see, among the innumerable altars and pyramids, the most impressive buildings is a mayan ballcourt, an astrological observatory, a stone skull rack, and a water well called the Sacred Cenote.

The historical origins of this city are far from certain, and although tour guides speak with an air of certainty, most of what is currently known, are educated guesses, at best. However it seems likely certain that this city was first settled around the 4th century A.D and the first temples were not erected until about the 7th century AD. This earlier temples were in the classic Maya style called Puuc, (a Spanish transliteration)an indigenous architectural style to the Maya. From the 4th to the 9th century AD, roughly, the city was founded and populated only by Mayans, and was given the name of “Uucil-abnal”, which means “Place of the Seven Lineages of Abnal”.

Then something strange and marvelous occurred. In the 10th century, a mysterious group of people, calling themselves the “Itza”, which can be translated to “Magic Water” or understood as “People who worship the Sacred Water”, arrived to the “Place of the Seven Lineages of Abnal”, taking over the land, and renaming it to “Mouth at the Well of the Itza” or as it was known to the Maya: Chichen Itza. They are believed to have arrived here with a legendary King from what is today, central Mexico, and have had brought with them advanced scientific and engineering knowledge. The name of the legendary King was Kukulcan (known also as Quetzalcoatl), and it is at this point that the Pyramid of Kukulcan was constructed, and from this point on the city rose to political, economic and religious prominence for centuries. It is because of this invasion, that the city's architecture contains so many non-Maya elements. That’s right, non-Maya elements, it is paradoxical that the most renowned Mayan city in the world is largely non-Maya. The style found in Chichen Itza is Toltec, the origin of King Kukulcan, and it's mixed with Mayan architectural forms. Eventually in the 12th century the city was conquered by the city of Mayapan, which according to the Maya, and from this point the city of Chichen Itza entered into decline. Finally in the 16th century the city was captured by the Spanish Conquistadors, but at that point the city had been largely abandoned and was for the most part only visited by Mayans in the form of religious pilgrimages. From this point on the city was largely abandoned and hidden by the dense jungle forest, only to be rediscovered in the modern era by archeologists.

Today Chichen Itza is surrounded by sprawling hotels, tourist accomodations, ATMs and a 1st class highway system. However don't be dismayed by these modern accomodations, once you step inside, you will be taken back centuries to the age of lost worlds. Please continue to learn about Chichen Itza by taking advantage of the virtual tour provided by Patawalk.com, each section has detailed explanations of the significance of each building, you can start here.