|
Chichen
Itza is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the
Maya civilization located in the northern center of the Yucatán
Peninsula, in the Yucatán state, present-day Mexico.
Chichen Itza was a major focal point 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.
The ruins of Chichen Itza are federal property, and the site’s stewardship
is maintained by Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia
(National Institute of Anthropology and History, INAH). The land
under the monuments had been privately-owned until March 29, 2010,
when it was purchased by the state of Yucatan.
Chichen Itza rose to regional prominence towards the end of the
Early Classic period (roughly 600 AD). It was, however, towards
the end of the Late Classic and into the early part of the Terminal
Classic that the site became a major regional capital, centralizing
and dominating political, sociocultural, economic, and ideological
life in the northern Maya lowlands. The ascension of Chichen Itza
roughly correlates with the decline and fragmentation of the major
centers of the southern Maya lowlands, such as Tikal.
Some ethnohistoric sources claim that in about 987 a Toltec king
named Topiltzin Ce Acatl Quetzalcoatl arrived here with an army
from central Mexico, and (with local Maya allies) made Chichen Itza
his capital, and a second Tula. The art and architecture from this
period shows an interesting mix of Maya and Toltec styles. However,
the recent re-dating of Chichen Itza's decline (see below) indicates
that Chichen Itza is largely a Late/Terminal Classic site, while
Tula remains an Early Postclassic site (thus reversing the direction
of possible influence).
Chichen Itza was a major economic power in the northern Maya lowlands
during its apogee. Participating in the water-borne circum-peninsular
trade route through its port site of Isla Cerritos, Chichen Itza
was able to obtain locally unavailable resources from distant areas
such as central Mexico (obsidian) and southern Central America (gold).
According to Maya chronicles (e.g., the Book of Chilam Balam of
Chumayel), Hunac Ceel, ruler of Mayapan, conquered Chichen Itza
in the 13th century. Hunac Ceel supposedly prophesied his own rise
to power. According to custom at the time, individuals thrown into
the Cenote Sagrado were believed to have the power of prophecy if
they survived. During one such ceremony, the chronicles state, there
were no survivors, so Hunac Ceel leaped into the Cenote Sagrado,
and when removed, prophesied his own ascension.
While there is some archaeological evidence that indicates Chichén
Itzá was at one time looted and sacked, there appears to be greater
evidence that it could not have been by Mayapan, at least not when
Chichén Itzá was an active urban center. Archaeological data now
indicates that Chichen Itza fell by around AD 1000, some two centuries
before the rise of Mayapan. Ongoing research at the site of Mayapan
may help resolve this chronological conundrum.
While Chichén Itzá “collapsed” (meaning elite activities ceased
and the site rapidly depopulated) it does not appear to have been
completely abandoned. According to post-Conquest sources, both Spanish
and Maya, the Cenote Sagrado remained a place of pilgrimage.
|
