The Maya civilization built the city of Chichén Itzá in present-day Mexico.
Chichén Itzá is a major archaeological site in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. It flourished as a regional political, economic, and religious center, especially from roughly the ninth through twelfth centuries. The city’s name is commonly interpreted as referring to the Itzá people and the sacred wells, or cenotes, associated with the site.
Its most famous structure is El Castillo, also called the Temple of Kukulcán. The stepped pyramid has 365 principal steps, a number associated with the solar year. During the equinoxes, changing sunlight creates a triangular shadow pattern along the pyramid’s staircase, popularly linked with the feathered serpent deity Kukulcán.
Chichén Itzá also contains the Great Ball Court, the largest known ancient ball court in Mesoamerica, along with temples, colonnades, and the Sacred Cenote. The city shows both Maya traditions and influences from central Mexican cultures. UNESCO designated Chichén Itzá a World Heritage Site in 1988.