CHICHÉN ITZÁ

chēchānˈ ētsäˈ, city of the ancient Maya, central Yucatán, Mexico. It was founded around two large cenotes, or natural wells. According to one system of dating, it was founded c.514, probably by the Itzá, and after being abandoned (692) and reoccupied (c.928) was chosen by Kulkulcán (see Quetzalcoatl) as his capital sometime between 968 and 987. After being defeated by Mayapán in 1194, the Itzá abandoned the city for the last time. Spanning two great periods of Maya civilization, Chichén Itzá shows both Classic and Post-Classic architectural styles. The Classic style is massive, with heavy, decorative sculpture and cramped interiors. The later buildings have plainer, more austere lines, with the sculpture based on the Mexican feathered-serpent motif and columns. Toltec influence is strong. The Castillo, or principal temple of Kulkulcán, is representative of the period. Rare among Maya buildings is the round tower called the Caracol [snail shell], built in the Post-Classic period; it was probably an astronomical observatory. Into Chichén Itzá's sacred well, mecca of countless pilgrimages from Central America and the Mexican plateau, were thrown jade and metal offerings. Humans were also sacrificed. Dredgings of the well in modern times have yielded a valuable collection of artifacts.

See studies by D. Ediger (1971) and M. Cohodas (1978).

____________________

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved.

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Questia Books and Articles on: ChichEn ItzA
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books on: ChichEn ItzA  - 310 results

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1.
The Conquest of the Last Maya Kingdom
Book by Grant D. Jones; Stanford University Press, 1998
Subjects: Itza Indians--Government Relations, Itza Indians--History--Sources, Itza Indians--Politics And Government, Mexico--History--Conquest, 1519-1540, Spain--Colonies--America--Administration
...they had left Yucatan. 27 Both Chichen Itza and Valladolid, the Spanish villa...time of the conquest of Yucatan, Chichen Itza had been in ruins for five centuries...established a Spanish villa at Chichen Itza. 28 Other names associated with...
2.
The Art and Architecture of Ancient America: The Mexican, Maya, and Andean Peoples
Book by George Kubler; Penguin Books, 1962
Subjects: Indian Architecture, Indian Art, Indians--Antiquities, Latin America--Antiquities
94 Chichen Itza, Temple of the Warriors, cella entrance, twelfth century I.N.A.H. 95 Chichen Itza, jaguar throne from the Castillo substructure...Carnegie Institudon of Washington 96 Chichen Itza, Atlantean figures of painted stone...
3.
Landscape and Power in Ancient Mesoamerica
Book by Rex Koontz, Kathryn Reese-Taylor, Annabeth Headrick; Westview Press, 2001
Subjects: City Planning--Mexico--History, Indian Architecture--Mexico, Indians Of Mexico--Politics And Government, Indians Of Mexico--Religion, Landscape Assessment--Mexico--History, Mexico--Antiquities, Sacred Space--Mexico--History
...1986 . For several centuries, Chichen Itza was a regional Maya capital, a...centers, and by about 950-1000 AD Chichen Itza seems to have absorbed peoples...elsewhere in the Maya area. 1 The Chichen Itza domain very probably stretched...
4.
Mesoamerican Architecture as a Cultural Symbol
Book by Jeff Karl Kowalski; Oxford University Press, 1999
Subjects: Architectural Design--Central America, Architectural Design--Mexico, Indian Architecture--Central America, Indian Architecture--Mexico, Mexico--Antiquities, Symbolism In Architecture--Latin America, Symbolism In Architecture--Mexico
...growth of centralized power at Chichen Itza, some of the Puuc cities e.g...period. Apparently, however, Chichen Itza eventually gained the upper hand...seemed reasonable to suppose that Chichen Itza was vying with various cities in...
5.
The Maya Tropical Forest: People, Parks, and Ancient Cities
Book by James D. Nations; University of Texas Press, 2006
Subjects: Human Ecology--Yucataan Peninsula, Mayas--Ethnobotany, Mayas--Ethnozoology, Rain Forest Ecology--Yucataan Peninsula, Yucataan Peninsula--Environmental Aspects
Chichen Itza. (chi = mouth; chen = well; thus, Mouth of the Well of the...competing city of May- apdn. This rival group eventually took over Chichen Itzdl and the Itza of Chichen abandoned their city to flee southward. According to oral tradi...
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journal articles on: ChichEn ItzA  - 31 results

       More journal Results: 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-31 >>  
 
1.
It Depends on How We Look at Things: New Perspectives on the Postclassic Period in the Northern Maya Lowlands1
Journal article by Jeremy A. Sabloff; Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 151, 2007
Subjects: Mayan civilization, Political economy, Politics
...Labna, and Sayil, and then at Chichen Itza in the Early Postclassic (the...sixteenth century AD. But neither Chichen Itza nor Mayapan was able to reclaim...current chronological assessments of Chichen Itza indicate that it declined much...
2.
The American Traveller
Journal article by Richard O'Mara; The Virginia Quarterly Review, Vol. 74, 1998
Subjects: Books, Mayan civilization, Personal profiles, Stephens, John Lloyd (1805-52), Writers
...of Copan, Palenque, Uxmal, Chichen-Itza, and something of the people...Chiapas, up to Uxmal and then to Chichen-Itza. Through the agony of a thousand...and again, in Uxmal, Tulum, Chichen-Itza, this conclusion would be reaffirmed...
3.
Neoliberal Modernization at the Mexican Periphery: Gender, Generation and the Construction of a New, Flexible Workforce
Journal article by Ron Loewe, Sarah Taylor; Urban Anthropology & Studies of Cultural Systems & World Economic Development, Vol. 37, 2008
...capture more of the tourist traffic between Cancun and Chichen Itza to the east, and the famous walled city of Campeche...when hundreds of thousands of tourists were swarming to Chichen Itza to see one of the seven wonders of the world, Oxkintok...
4.
The Sense of Tranquility: Bodily Practice and Ethnic Classes in Yucatan
Journal article by Christine A. Kray; Ethnology, Vol. 44, 2005
Subjects: Ethnicity--Analysis, Quietude--Analysis, Quietude--Methods, Yucatan, Mexico--Demographic aspects, Yucatan, Mexico--History
...the cenote on their way from Cancun to the ruins of Chichen Itza. Sales in tickets, refreshments, and handicrafts...E. 1996. In the Museum of Maya Culture: Touring Chichen Itza. Minneapolis. -- 2004. "We Are Not Indigenous...
5.
"A Monument to Native Civilization": Byron Cummings" Still-Unfolding Vision for Kinishba Ruins
Journal article by John R. Welch; Journal of the Southwest, Vol. 49, 2007
Subjects: Archaeology, Arizona State Museum--Management, Publishing industry, United States. National Park Service--Management, University of Arizona Press--Management
...motives or goals. Writing on June 17, 1931, from Chichen Itza, Mexico--where he was participating in the investigation...February 2006; see also Thompson 2005) observes that Chichen Itza, where Cummings worked in 1931, was being developed...
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magazine articles on: ChichEn ItzA  - 45 results

       More magazine Results: 1-10 11-20 21-30 31-40 41-45 >>  
 
1.
Chichen Itza
Magazine article by Diana Rowe; World and I, Vol. 22, November 2007
Subjects: Chichen Itza, Mexico--Description and travel, Chichen Itza, Mexico--History, Historic sites, Mayas--History
Chichen Itza. by Diana Rowe One of New Seven Wonders...of Kukulcan, in the ancient city of Chichen Itza, and the responding echo will sound...dozens of buildings to form a city called Chichen Itza. Between 800 and 1250 A.D, this ancient...
2.
Chichen Itza: A Place of Wonder by Any Measure, This Architectural Complex on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula Expresses the Worldview of the Maya with Mathematical Precision
Magazine article by Adriana Herrera; Americas (English Edition), Vol. 60, January 2008
Subjects: Architecture, El Castillo (Chichen Itza, Mexico)--Description and travel, El Castillo (Chichen Itza, Mexico)--Personal narratives, Mayan culture, Mayas--History, Mayas--Works
Chichen Itza: A Place of Wonder by Any Measure...ILLUSTRATION OMITTED The Pyramid of Kukulcan in Chichen Itza, the ancient Maya ceremonial center...Surrounded by dense rainforest, Chichen Itza sits in the north central part of the...
3.
El Caribe Mexico
Magazine article by Elaine C. Ray; Black Enterprise, Vol. 22, May 1992
Subjects: Caribbean Area--Description and travel, Yucatan Peninsula--Description and travel
...to what you can see in Tulum or Chichen Itza. Archaeological sites closer to...Treasures Conventional lore says that Chichen Itza was conquered by the Toltecs...What is clear, however, is that Chichen Itza is a blend of Mayan and Toltec...
4.
The Mayan Ruins
Magazine article by Habeeb Salloum; Contemporary Review, Vol. 268, May 1996
Subjects: Central American native peoples--Antiquities, Mayas--History, Mexican native peoples--History, Mexico--Historic sites
...a handful like Coba, Tulum and Chichen Itza have been, to some extent, excavated...tour and soon were on the way to Chichen Itza - the most interesting and spectacular...countless topes (speed bumps). To Chichen Itza and back we must have driven over...
5.
The Maya War of Words: Scholarly Theories Collide around the Disappearance of the Ancient Maya. How Do You Spell Collapse?
Magazine article by Louis Werner; Americas (English Edition), Vol. 58, November 2006
Subjects: Mayan culture--Analysis, Mayas--History, Scholars--Works
...what that may have been. Regarding Chichen Itza, which he incorrectly took as the...forty miles away? How could Chiehen Itza and the Puuc sites thrive at the...hegemonies. Not so everywhere else. Chichen Itza, for instance, was yet to flourish...
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newspaper articles on: ChichEn ItzA  - 105 results

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1.
The People's Wonders; the Great Wall of China Inca Fortress Machu Picchu, Peru Chichen Itza Ruins, Mexico Eiffel Tower in Paris Statue of Christ the Redeemer, Brazil Petra, Jordan
Newspaper article; The Daily Mail (London, England), July 7, 2007
Subjects: Towers, Towers (Structures)
...Great Wall of China Inca Fortress Machu Picchu, Peru Chichen Itza Ruins, Mexico Eiffel Tower in Paris Statue of Christ...Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, Machu Picchu and theMayan Chichen Itza ruins in Mexico have all made the top ten, as have...
2.
If Only They Could See Me in the Rovers Now; Coronation Street Villain Gray O'Brien Escapes the Heat Down Mexico Way
Newspaper article; The Mail on Sunday (London, England), December 13, 2009
Subjects: Airlines--Personal narratives, Mexicana Airlines
...drive to the Hacienda Hotel at Chichen Itza - another amazing archaeological...from the entrance to the site of Chichen Itza. The name means mouth or well...sums up the incredible site of Chichen Itza. Yucatan is an arid state. There...
3.
Mayan Event; NIGEL THOMPSON Discovers the Ancient and Modern Sides of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula BATMAN DISCO'S A MEXICAN RAVE
Newspaper article; The Mirror (London, England), April 9, 2011
...tour of the Mayan city ruins at Chichen Itza - a UNESCO World Heritage site...I suppose. As Pepe, my superb Chichen Itza guide, said: "It would bring...habanero chili paste. Wow. Entry to Chichen Itza costs about pounds 5. I headed...
4.
Taking the Kids to Two of the Seven New World Wonders
Newspaper article; Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL), September 2, 2007
...possibility. Pack your bags for Mexicos Chichen Itza and the Colosseum in Rome. Call me a wimp, but I like the Chichen Itza option because its easy to get...stark contrast to what youll see at Chichen Itza, the most famous of the Mayan...
5.
The Mex Factor; Sea, Sand, Magnificent Caves & Ancient Ruins Make Cancun a Must
Newspaper article; Sunday Mirror (London, England), September 20, 2009
Subjects: Caves
...huge UNESCO World Heritage Site of Chichen Itza, but the whole peninsula is riddled...could see was the giant temple of Chichen Itza, our next destination. After...breathtaking blue sea. But, like Chichen Itza, it attracts huge crowds and it...
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encyclopedia articles on: ChichEn ItzA  - 9 results

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1.
Pre-Columbian Art and Architecture
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
...invaded Maya country, principally Chichen Itza (c.987). There they had a...revealed by the pyramids at Tula and Chichen Itza, with their deep colonnades...Yucatan. Indications are that Chichen Itza was abandoned by the Toltec around...
2.
ChichÉn ItzÁ
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
CHICHEN ITZA chechan etsa , city of the ancient Maya...being defeated by Mayapan in 1194, the Itza abandoned the city for the last time...two great periods of Maya civilization, Chichen Itza shows both Classic and Post-Classic architectural...
3.
Quetzalcoatl
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
...leadership of Kulkulcan, a historical figure, occupied Chichen Itza and founded the cities of Uxmal and Mayapan. Although...the death of Kulkulcan he became the patron deity of Chichen Itza, and most of the temples were dedicated to him. The...
4.
ItzÁ
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
ITZA etsa , Maya of Yucatan (Mexico) and Peten (Guatemala). Probable founders of Chichen Itza , which they occupied at various times from...after the visit of Cortes in 1525, the Itza (the last strong, independent Mayan tribe...
5.
Maya , Indigenous People of Mexico and Central America
Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2009
...by around a.d. 1100. In the Yucatan highlands settlement persisted, with a probable colonization of the site of Chichen Itza by Toltec from Central Mexico. By the time of Spanish conquest, most Mayan populations were centered around small...
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