DK Travel : Cancún and the Yucatán : Chichén Itzá: The Carvings

Top 10 Chichén Itzá: The Carvings

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1. Heads of Kukulcán

The giant feathered serpents at the Castillo probably represented Vision Serpents but have also been associated with the central Mexican serpent-god Quetzalcoatl.
2. Chac Mool and Altar of the Red Jaguar

Reclining Chac Mool figures were fallen warriors delivering offerings to the gods, from food and jewels to the hearts of sacrificial victims. The Chac Mool in the inner temple of the Castillo stands in front of a painted stone jaguar, a symbol of cosmic forces.
3. Temple of the Jaguars

Carved panels connect the foundation of Chichén Itzá with First Mother and First Father, the creators of the world.
4. Ball Court Frieze

As defeated ball game players have their heads cut off, seven spurts of blood shoot from their necks and are transformed into vines and flowers.
5. Tzompantli

Covered in carved skulls on all four sides, a low platform near the Ball Court was probably used to display the heads of sacrificial victims.
6. Platform of the Jaguars and Eagles

This small platform may have been used for rituals by the Orders of the Jaguars and Eagles – special groups of warriors. Its carvings show these animals tearing open human victims to eat their hearts.
7. Warriors’ Columns

A “picture gallery” of the men of Chichén. Most are of warriors in their battle regalia, but there are also some priests and bound captives.
8. Casa Colorada Inscriptions

These record that several lords of Chichén celebrated a ritual here in September 869, to ensure the city’s prosperity.
9. Chac-Masks of Las Monjas

The curling snout of the rain-god Chac is depicted repeatedly in rows at the Nunnery.
10. Snails, Armadillos, Turtles, and Crabs

Placed between the Chac-heads on the Iglesia (“church”) at the Nunnery, these animals represented the four spirits that held up the sky at the cardinal points (north, south, east, west) in Mayan mythology.