Chichen Itza – Maya central in Mexico

The Temple of Kukulkan is also known as El Castillo or the Castle. It is a four-sided pyramid that is 24m tall. It is actually a Mayan calendar, and the central feature of Chichen Itza. Photos: TNS

Chichen Itza, on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, is dominated by grey limestone that was cut by hand and moved without any wheels.

Once home to 30,000 people, Chichen Itza was the last major city developed by the Mayas and was certainly one of Mexico’s grandest cities for nine centuries. It was a political, economic and religious centre.