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ChichEn ItzA[chEchAn´ EtsA´] Pronunciation Key, city of the ancient Maya, central YucatAn, 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 ItzA, and after being abandoned (692) and reoccupied (c.928) was chosen by KulkulcAn (see Quetzalcoatl) as his capital sometime between 968 and 987. After being defeated by MayapAn in 1194, the ItzA abandoned the city for the last time. Spanning two great periods of Maya civilization, ChichEn ItzA 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 KulkulcAn, 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 ChichEn ItzA'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).
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