Chichen Itza Information

"El Castillo" is the main attraction.  It was home to the scientists of the Mayan civilization.  It was constructed circa 600-1300 AD.

At its peak, the Mayans had 13 million people.  Today there are still around 7 million.

 The Maya calendar is a complex system of multiple interlocking cycles used for both religious and civil purposes. It primarily consists of the Tzolkin (260-day ritual calendar), the Haab (365-day solar calendar), and the Long Count (used to track long periods of time). The Tzolk'in and Haab combine to form the Calendar Round, a 52-year cycle .

 The Maya ballgame, also known as Pitz in Classical Maya and Pok-a-tok, was a Mesoamerican sport played throughout the region by the Maya civilization. It was more than just a game; it had religious and political significance, and the outcome could even determine the fate of the losing team.  Contrary to popular belief, the losers were not executed.

Maya religious beliefs centered around a polytheistic pantheon of gods and spirits, with nature playing a significant role in their cosmology and rituals. The Maya believed in a complex interconnected universe, including the Upperworld, Natural World, and Underworld, with the World Tree connecting them. They also practiced animism, believing that all things, animate and inanimate, possessed a spirit. 

The Mayan civilization, spanning from around 2000 BCE to the Spanish conquest in the 16th century, flourished in Mesoamerica, encompassing parts of modern-day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. Their history is typically divided into three major periods: the Preclassic, Classic, and Postclassic. During the Classic Period (c. 250-900 CE), the Maya developed advanced city-states with complex social structures, monumental architecture, and sophisticated knowledge in mathematics, astronomy, and writing.