Submitted by:Tatiana (from Northbrook, IL, USA)
Country: Mexico
State: Yucatan
City: Tinum Municipality
Location: Chichen Itza [map]
Status since photo:
Chichen Itza is a pre-Columbian archeological site from the Mayan civilization and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built around 600 AD and first discovered around 1910 during a river dredging. The site became a major regional capital for the Mayans, both politically and economically. Some notable structures on the site include the main temple called "El Castillo" (first photo), the Great Ball Court where losing teams of a ball game would be decapitated (second photo) and the Tzompantli skull wall (third photo). The site finally declined around 1000 AD. The Spanish arrived around the 1500s and conquered the land, overcoming strong local Mayan resistance to do so.
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