Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza

A Building in the Jungle Long ago, two men were exploring a jungle in Mexico. People had told them about the ruins of an old city nearby. Suddenly, the men spotted a tall building covered with plants. They had found one of the most important old cities in Mexico- Chichen Itzá (chee-CHEN eet-SAH).

The Yucatán Chichen Itzá is on the Yucatán (yoo-kah-TAHN) Peninsula, in Mexico. Most of the land on the peninsula has stayed the same for hundreds of years. There are a few big cities, but the land near Chichen Itzá is still jungles, forests, and farms.

An Old City Chichen Itzá was built many hundreds of years ago by the Maya people. They made stone buildings that still stand today. The building that the two men saw is called El Castillo (EL kahs-TEE-yoh)-Spanish for " the castle. "

The Great Ball Court in Chichén Itzá is a big field with a stone wall. Men played a game using a huge, heavy rubber ball. Scientists are still trying to learn how the game was played.

Building Chichen Itzá It took the Maya hundreds of years to build the city. The older buildings are low and flat. They often have plain stones on the bottom and fancy carved stones on top. The newer buildings, like El Castillo and the Great Ball Court, are different. They have snake carvings and tall columns.