In Maya mythology, Kukulkan was the feathered serpent deity worshipped at Chichen Itza.
Kukulkan was especially important among the Yucatec Maya, and the name is usually translated as “feathered serpent.” The deity is closely related to Quetzalcoatl, the feathered-serpent figure known from central Mexican traditions, but Kukulkan belongs specifically to Maya religious and cultural contexts.
The most famous monument associated with Kukulkan is the Temple of Kukulkan, also called El Castillo, at Chichen Itza in present-day Mexico. During the equinoxes, the angle of sunlight creates a shadow pattern along the pyramid’s staircase that resembles a descending serpent.
The effect is often described as an intentional astronomical and architectural design, although the exact ancient ritual interpretation is debated. Kukulkan should not be treated as simply another name for every feathered-serpent deity in Mesoamerica.