The city flourished from around 600 to 1200 CE, drawing people from across the Maya world. Its name means "at the mouth of the well of the Itza", after the great natural sinkhole, the Sacred Cenote.
El Castillo, the Temple of Kukulcan, has 91 steps on each of its four sides; with the top platform they add up to 365, the days of the year. At the spring and autumn equinoxes, the afternoon sun casts a shadow like a serpent sliding down the stairs.
The Great Ball Court here is the largest known in ancient Mesoamerica.
