🌌🗿 Chichen Itza: The Aquatic Sorcerers' Citadel (New7Wonders) 🏟️

Mystery of the Maya 🌿: Buried in Yucatán’s jungle, Chichen Itza = Maya genius incarnate. Its crown jewel, El Castillo (Kukulkan Pyramid), is a 2,000-year-old marvel of astronomy and myth. 🌌 Civilization Unveiled 🌍: Maya culture thrived in Chiapas, Guatemala, Yucatán, Honduras, and Belize. Their Classic Period (250–900 CE) birthed cities like Tikal, Copán, and Palenque—architectural wonders steeped in mystery. 🏛️ Birth of a Citadel 🏰: “Chichén” = “Well of the Itza”. Founded in 435 CE by the Itza (“Water Wizards”). 💧 Putún Arrival 🚢: Northern migrants fused Maya traditions with Putún architecture (6th–10th centuries). Toltec Rebirth 🔥: After abandonment, Toltec warriors brought Quetzalcoatl (feathered serpent god) iconography, reviving Chichen Itza as a powerhouse. 🐍 Dual Legacies 🕰️: Old City (600–900 CE): Putún-Maya hybrid. New City (900–1200 CE): Toltec-Maya fusion. Rise and Fall ⚔️: Mayapan League 🤝: Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and Mayapán united (987 CE), only to collapse into war. Itza Exodus 🏃: Defeated, the Itza fled to Guatemala’s Petén region. By the 13th century, Chichen Itza lay abandoned. 🌿 Iconic Sites 📸: 1️⃣ Kukulkan Pyramid 🐍: Spring/autumn equinox = serpent shadow “slithering” down steps. 2️⃣ Temple of Warriors ⚔️: Columns carved with serpent gods. 3️⃣ Great Ball Court 🏀: Largest in Mesoamerica. 4️⃣ Observatory 🔭: Maya astronomers tracked Venus here. Legacy Lives On 🌠: Chichen Itza = time capsule of a civilization that mapped cosmos, engineered cities, and worshipped water as life itself. 💦 #MayaMysteries #ChichenItzaMagic #AncientCivilizations 🇲🇽🏟️