Must-see attractions in Chichén Itzá

  • El Castillo

    Upon entering Chichén Itzá, El Castillo (aka the Pyramid of Kukulcán) rises before you in all its grandeur. The first temple here was pre-Toltec, built…

  • Gran Juego de Pelota

    The great ball court, the largest and most impressive in Mexico, is only one of the city’s eight courts, indicative of the importance the games held here…

  • Akab-Dzib

    East of the Nunnery, the Puuc-style Akab-Dzib is thought by some archaeologists to be the most ancient structure excavated here. The central chambers date…

  • Grupo de las Mil Columnas

    This group east of El Castillo pyramid takes its name – which means ‘Group of the Thousand Columns’ – from the forest of pillars stretching south and east…

  • El Caracol

    Called El Caracol (the Snail) by the Spaniards for its interior spiral staircase, this observatory, to the south of the El Osario, is one of the most…

  • Edificio de las Monjas

    Thought by archaeologists to have been a palace for Maya royalty, the so-called Edificio de las Monjas (Nunnery), with its myriad rooms, resembled a…

  • El Osario

    The Ossuary, otherwise known as the Bonehouse or the Tumba del Gran Sacerdote (High Priest’s Grave), is a ruined pyramid to the southwest of El Castillo…

  • Plataforma de los Cráneos

    The Platform of Skulls (Tzompantli in Náhuatl, a Maya dialect) is between the Templo de los Jaguares y Escudos and El Castillo. You can’t mistake it,…

  • Plataforma de Venus

    This ceremonial site directly in front of the El Castillo is most notable for its huge, ornate and superbly preserved plumed serpent heads extending on…

  • Templo de los Jaguares y Escudos

    The Temple of the Jaguars and Shields, built atop the southeast corner of the ball court’s wall, has some columns with carved rattlesnakes and tablets…

  • Cenote Sagrado

    From the Plataforma de Venus, a 250m rough stone sacbé (path) runs north to the huge sunken well that gave this city its name. The Sacred Cenote is some…

  • Templo del Barbado

    The structure at the ball court's north end, called the Temple of the Bearded Man after a carving inside it, has finely sculpted pillars and reliefs of…

  • Visitors Center Museum

    The visitors center has a small museum with exhibits providing explanations in Spanish, English and French.