Past: Chichen Itza (c. 600 – 1200 CE)
Chichen Itza stood as a thriving Mayan city of tens of thousands of residents on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula between 600 – 1200 CE. The central city, with its pyramids and platforms, astronomy tower, ball court, and proximity to two cenotes, once covered an area of about 5 kilometers (1.9 square miles), with people living and farming land outside of this core government, market, and temple area. After the arrival of the Spanish in the mid-16th century, the population of Chichen Itza abandoned the city. Left to ruin for centuries, archaeologists uncovered the Pyramid of Kukulkan in 1841. They found a stepped pyramid standing about 30 meters (98 feet) tall, with a temple at its peak, reachable by a steep staircase on all sides. Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site has been named as a New Seven Wonders of the World.
