The Chichen Itza Pyramids 20.682778° N, 88.569167° W

The famous Mayan pyramids of Chichén-Itzá are over 1500 years old and are located only 75 miles from Merida. Some believe people were occasionally thrown into the nearby cenote (or underwater sinkhole) as sacrifices.


The site is divided into three sections, the North group, the Central group, and the Southern group. The main attraction is the central pyramid, also known as El Castillo, this spectacular, massive Mesoamerican step-pyramid dominates the Chichen Itza archaeological site in the Mexican state of Yucatan. Built by the Maya sometime between the 1000 and 1200 AD, El Castillo served as a temple to the god Kukulkan and is believed to have served as a calendar. Each of the structures four stairways contains 91 steps. When counting the top platform as another step, in total El Castillo has 365 steps, one step for each day of the year. The structure is 24 meters tall (78 feet), plus an additional 6 m (20 feet) for the temple top for a total height of 30 meters (98 feet). The square base measures 55.3 meters (181 feet) across. Huge sculptures of plumed serpent’s heads sit at the base of the pyramid on the northern staircase. At sunset during the spring and autumn equinoxes triangle shadows are formed by the platforms making it appear as if a plumed serpent is descending the pyramid.