Experience the best of Chichén Itzá

Chichén Itzá is an ancient Maya city in the middle of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the state of Yucatán, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was a regional capital long before the arrival of the Spanish, and its buildings mix Maya traditions with styles that show links to central Mexico. El Castillo, a four-sided step pyramid dedicated to the feathered serpent god Kukulcán, dominates the main plaza.

Each stairway of El Castillo has ninety-one steps, which with the platform add up to the days of the year, and at the spring and autumn equinoxes the afternoon light makes a snake of shadow seem to slither down the north stairway. The Great Ball Court, the Temple of the Warriors with its rows of columns, the round observatory known as El Caracol and the Sacred Cenote, a sinkhole used for offerings, stand nearby.

Cenotes, natural sinkholes with cool clear water, are scattered around the area, among them Ik Kil. The colonial town of Valladolid lies to the east, and the yellow-painted town of Izamal to the north-west. Yucatecan food includes cochinita pibil, pork slow-cooked with achiote in banana leaves, and sopa de lima. The site is hot and humid, with a rainy season in summer.