Chichen Itza is in the Mexican state of Yucatan.
The archaeological site lies near the town of Tinum in the eastern part of Yucatan, on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. It was one of the largest Maya cities and a major centre in the northern Maya lowlands from the Late Classic period into the early Postclassic period.
Chichen Itza is famous for El Castillo, the pyramid-temple dedicated to Kukulkan, as well as the Great Ball Court, the Temple of the Warriors and the Sacred Cenote. The site's location in a limestone landscape with underground water systems helped make settlement possible despite the region's lack of surface rivers.
The state is often confused with the wider Yucatan Peninsula, which also includes Campeche and Quintana Roo. Chichen Itza is not in the state of Chiapas, although Chiapas contains other important Maya sites, including Palenque. UNESCO designated Chichen Itza a World Heritage Site in 1988.