The pyramid of El Castillo at Chichén Itzá is traditionally said to have 365 steps. The famous total comes from approximately 91 steps on each of its four sides, plus the temple platform at the top counted as the final step.
El Castillo is also known as the Temple of Kukulcán, named for the feathered serpent deity worshipped by the Maya. The pyramid dominates the centre of the archaeological site in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and was built in several phases, probably between the 8th and 12th centuries CE.
The number 365 is usually linked to the Maya Haab’ calendar, which contained 18 months of 20 days plus an additional five-day period. The pyramid’s design therefore appears to connect architecture, ritual and observations of the solar year, although interpretations of its symbolism should not be treated as absolute proof of the builders’ intentions.
A detail often missed in quiz answers is that the steps are not perfectly preserved. The southern staircase is eroded, and the figure 365 is a symbolic architectural count rather than a simple modern inventory of every intact stone stair. That is why 365 remains the accepted answer.