Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza (from Yucatec Maya chich'en itza', "At the mouth of the well of the Itza") is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilizationYucatán Peninsula, present-day Mexico. located in the northern center of the
Chichen Itza was a major regional center in the northern Maya lowlands from the Late Classic through the Terminal Classic and into the early portion of the Early Postclassic
period. The site exhibits a multitude of architectural styles, from
what is called "Mexicanized" and reminiscent of styles seen in central
Mexico to the Puuc
style found among the Puuc Maya of the northern lowlands. The presence
of central Mexican styles was once thought to have been representative
of direct migration or even conquest from central Mexico, but most
contemporary interpretations view the presence of these non-Maya styles
more as the result of cultural diffusion.
Archaeological
data, such as evidence of burning at a number of important structures
and architectural complexes, suggest that Chichen Itza's collapse was
violent. Following the decline of Chichen Itza's hegemony, regional power in the Yucatán shifted to a new center at Mayapan.
According to the American Anthropological Association, the actual ruins of Chich'en Itza are federal property, and the site's stewardship is maintained by Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History (Instituto Nacional de AntropologÃa e Historia , INAH). The land under the monuments, however, is privately-owned by the Barbachano family.[1]
