Chichen Itza: the meaning of its monuments and history

Chichen Itza: the meaning of its monuments and history

Chichen Itza was an ancient city in Mesoamerica, inhabited by peoples belonging to the Mayan culture.

Charged with sacred connotations, Chichen Itza functioned as a place of worship and pilgrimage. The arrangement, use, and decorative elements of the monuments reflect the social and political structure of the Mayan people, the gods they worshiped, and their understanding of the cosmos.

The Pyramid of Kukulkan was conceived as a beautiful giant stone calendar, built in honor of the god of water and wind. Representations of the rain god, Chaac, are used as a decorative element in places as emblematic as the Temple of the Warriors.

For its part, the Observatory is clearly oriented to the contemplation of celestial phenomena, which attests to the extensive knowledge in astronomy, mathematics, and geometry that the Mayans developed.

The name of the city, Chichén Itzá, means 'on the edge of the well of the Itza' and refers to one of the many existing wells in the area, known as the Sacred Cenote.

The Itza, whose name means 'water diviners', is the Mayan people who inhabited the city from the 8th century. It was at the end of this century when the warrior tribe of the Toltecs arrived in this territory and introduced their culture, iconography, and devotion to Kukulkan.

During the post-classic period, Chichen Itza became the main political and religious center of the Mayab, a name that the Mayans gave to the Yucatan peninsula and means 'place of not many'.

The 9 main monuments and their meaning

The archaeological zone of Chichén Itzá is an area where classic Mayan architecture converges with the warrior and religious art of the Toltecs. Among its numerous constructions we can highlight the following:

1. The Pyramid of Kukulkan: representation of the cosmos

Image of the pyramid of Kukulkan.

Also known as El Castillo or the Temple of Kukulkan, it is a complete representation of the cosmos as the Mayans understood it and a sample of their geometric, astronomical and mathematical skills.

Each one of the sides of the pyramid corresponds to one of the 4 cardinal points, towards which four monumental stairways descend. The most important, the north stairway, witnesses Kukulkan's descent to earth during the spring and fall equinoxes.

A total of 365 steps lead up to the top, one step for each day of the Mayan year according to the Haab calendar. The sanctuary, which was located in the highest area, had 20 battlements, one for each day of the month.

The pyramid of Kukulkan represents the importance of the calendar, the division of time, and the solar cycle for the Mayan culture.

A construction where the worship of Kukulkan is present in its columns and balustrades: the image of a feathered serpent that represents the Mayan god of the elements and wisdom.

Detail of the serpent-shaped balustrade of the north stairway.

The Kukulkan temple was built on a second pyramid, older and smaller, in which the Throne of the Jaguar and a figure known as Chac Mool are guarded.

2. Chac Mool: sacrifices and offerings

The figure of a Chac Mool, a man holding the plate where the offerings of the sacrifices were deposited.

It is a characteristic sculpture of the late Mesoamerican period, present in different constructions of Chichen Itza such as the Temple of the Warriors or the pyramid that underlies El Castillo.

It represents the effigy of a reclining man holding a plate on his belly in which the offerings destined for the deities during the sacrifices were deposited.

There are several hypotheses regarding the identity of this character since it could be the victim of a sacrifice, a warrior, and even a minor deity.

What is clear is that their purpose is ceremonial, since these sculptures were found in religious spaces.

3. Sacred Cenote: link with the underworld

Image of the Sacred Cenote of Chichen Itza.

A cenote is natural subsidence of the land that serves as a water reservoir for consumption and irrigation.

The ancient Mayans considered the Sacred Cenote to be a link to the underworld. Rituals and sacrifices were performed on its shore, in which valuable metal objects and precious stones were thrown. The purpose was to offer offerings to deities, such as the god Chaac, to obtain protection and the rain necessary for a good harvest.

The Sacred Cenote was first dredged by Edward H. Thompson to retrieve valuables that rested at the bottom. During the process, animal and human remain, sacrificial victims, were discovered and sold to the Peabody Archaeological Museum at Harvard University.

4. Temple of the Warriors: war conflict

Image of the Temple of the Warriors and the Group of the Thousand Columns.

The Temple of the Warriors is a revelation of the internal conflicts between the Mayans and the Toltecs that took place in Chichen Itza. In addition to images of eagles, jaguars, and masks of the god Chaac, there are numerous figures of warriors, weapons, and prisoners that appear on its columns and pillars.

The images of feathered serpents are present on the stairs and columns that guard the access to the temple, and processions of this idol decorate its cornices and murals.

On the entrance platform, we find a sculpture of Chac Mool, ready for offerings.

5. Great Ballgame: the war on the court

Image of the Chichen Itza ballcourt.

In the city of Chichén Itzá, the largest ball game field in Mesoamerica is preserved. The ball game was a sport linked to religious celebrations, which is why the courts were built within sacred spaces.

Sometimes the teams faced each other to resolve conflicts without having to fight in a war, leaving the losers at the mercy of the winning team.

Two walls, decorated with figures of warriors, delimited the field of play and held the hoops, or markers, through which the ball had to pass, at a height of 7 meters.

Detail of a ball game ring or marker.

At each end of the field, there was a room, some citizens could watch the competition from there, but it was mainly used for the practice of rituals related to the game.

6. The platform of the Skulls or Tzompantli: enemies defeated

The detail in relief of the Platform of the Skulls.

It is an altar composed of a T-shaped platform that was consecrated to death. There is a popular belief that it was used to display the mortal remains of enemies as trophies. On its walls, you can see images of warriors carrying skulls.

7. Temple of Venus: the guiding star

The representations of the planet Venus give rise to its name and show the importance that this star had for the Mayans. Its base is square, with stairs on each of its sides, ending in snakeheads that ascend the balustrades.

By observing the cycle of Venus, the Mayans were able to predict the arrival of the rains and the moment of greatest fertility of the farmland.

The inhabitants of Chichén Itzá related the planet Venus to the Kukulkan divinity because according to their interpretation, Venus moved in a serpentine manner through the firmament.

They also interpreted seeing the star at sunset as a bad omen, while seeing it in the morning was a sign of prosperity.

8. Ossuary: the record of solar movement

Also known as the Tomb of the High Priest, it is a stepped pyramid that bears similarities to El Castillo and was built for ceremonial and astronomical purposes.

Beneath the ground, there is a cave, which was considered a sacred site because they believed that the beginning and end of life took place there. A vertical shot, typical of the solar observatories of the time, opens from this grotto to the sanctuary that crowned the top of the pyramid.

Through this opening, the subsoil and the firmament were connected and records of time and solar movements were carried out.

The Ossuary has four stairways that, through seven levels, lead to the top. In the decoration we find snakes sculpted on the stairs, reliefs of eagles and tigers, figures of first-class citizens, and masks with the face of the god Chaac.

9. The Observatory or El Caracol: stars and predictions

It is a building that was probably used for astronomical observation. The Mayans were great observers of the stars, as they helped them predict crops, deaths, and the optimal moments for combat.

It is known as El Caracol because of the spiral staircase that led to the highest part of the vault. From the upper windows, you could see different positions of the planet Venus, sunrise, and sunset.

This construction is made up of two superimposed rectangular platforms, which served as a residence for priests, and on them rises its characteristic circular tower.

History of Chichen Itza

foundation period

The foundation of Chichén Itzá happened around the 8th century AD, when the Itzá people, from Petén (Guatemala), established their settlement in this place to take advantage of its water sources and fertile soils.

Around this period there was an increase in population due to migrations from different regions, among which the arrival of the Toltec people stands out.

The Toltecs were warriors from central Mexico whose military skills and religious customs greatly influenced the development of Chichen Itza.

A political transformation unified different ethnic groups under the protection of Kukulkan, who is said to have been, in addition to being a god, a warrior whose figure ended up being deified.

period of splendor

Around the middle of the 9th century, while the Mayan cities of the classic period were experiencing their decline, Chichen Itza became the political and ceremonial center of Yucatan.

The nerve center is moved from the area called Old Chichen, clearly dominated by the traditional Puuc style, to the Great Leveling, where the main buildings of this period were located.

The city reaches its fullness, not only with the construction of authentic architectural treasures but also with the development of a great military capacity that allowed it to control the collection of taxes and trade routes. Cocoa, jade, and obsidian were the most valuable commodities traded.

period of decline

There are different versions of the abandonment of Chichen Itza. One of the most accepted hypotheses is that a long period of drought forced the inhabitants to leave the city due to the difficulty in obtaining food.

On the other hand, there are those who affirm that their decline came when they had no more people to conquer and impose tributes on.

Chichen Itza was inhabited until its decline and subsequent abandonment in the 13th century. Later, it continued to function as a sacred site to which the Mayans went on pilgrimage to make their offerings to the gods.

References:

• Jones, C. (1999). The trade and exchange routes of the Maya. Pre-Columbian times, Foundation for Culture and Development Guatemala, Guatemala City, 479-486.
• Cobos, R. (2001). The center of Yucatán: from a peripheral area to the integration of the urban community in Chichén Itzá. In Reconstructing the Mayan city: urban planning in ancient societies (pp. 253-276). Spanish Society of Mayan Studies.
• Pallan, C. (2011). A brief history of the Mayans. Editorial Nowtilus.

 

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