Which Maya city features the Temple of Kukulkan?

Chichén Itzá is the Maya city that features the Temple of Kukulkan, also known as El Castillo.

The monumental step pyramid stands at the center of the archaeological site in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. It was dedicated to Kukulcán, the Yucatec Maya Feathered Serpent deity, closely related to Quetzalcoatl in central Mexican traditions. The pyramid rises about 30 meters including its summit temple and has four stairways, one on each side.

The structure is especially famous for its serpent imagery and the triangular shadows that appear along the northern staircase around the equinoxes. The effect resembles Kukulcán descending the pyramid, although researchers caution that the shadow pattern can be seen for several weeks and may not have been designed as a precise equinox marker. The visible pyramid also encloses earlier temple structures, reflecting the Maya practice of building new sacred architecture over older buildings.

A common mix-up is confusing Chichén Itzá with Tikal or Uxmal, which also contain major Maya monuments. Chichén Itzá was a major center in the northern Maya lowlands from roughly the seventh through the twelfth centuries and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988.