Chichen Itza is perhaps the most iconic of all Mayan ruins. Its name means "Mouth of the well of Itza," a Mayan tribe. Founded in 445 B.C.E. and mysteriously abandoned in 1204 C.E., these ruins serve as the richest remaining look into Mayan culture. Located 25 miles southeast of the modern city Merida, this former Mayan social center hosts a famous 75-foot-tall pyramid, the highly decorated ceremonial Temple of Kukulcan, built in tribute to the feathered serpent god. This serpent-adorned temple uses light and shadow to accurately predict spring and autumn equinoxes, casting snakelike silhouettes on the surrounding ground. Chichen Itza also houses the ancient Great Ball Court, a sporting area where Mayans competed in a ballgame that remains something of a mystery to modern historians. This football field-sized court also features incredible acoustics, projecting even quiet voices across its length.
One of the smaller Mayan city-states, Tulum in Quintana Roo overlooks the beautiful waters of the Caribbean Sea. This is because Tulum was established as a seaport, rising to prominence in the 13th century C.E. Tulum is a walled city (its name means "wall," "fence" or "enclosure") abandoned about 70 years after the Spanish Conquest in the early 1500s, but important to Mayans up through the 20th century. A 16-foot-thick surrounding wall with five gates characterizes the site, which also features a prominent city square and El Castillo, a fortress-temple overlooking the sea and adorned with an intricate sculpture of a descending god. Tulum also houses the Temple of the Frescoes, an observatory containing 13th century fresco paintings depicting gods, goddesses and supernatural serpents. The site's Temple of the Descending Gods also faces out to sea, where visitors can sunbathe on white sand beaches once inhabited by the Mayans.
Uxmal, meaning "thrice built," is a 10th century Mayan site south of Merida. Very illustrative of Mayan culture, Uxmal features many decorative ornaments and intricate stonework. Though the site is hilly and compact and many of the structures grown over with plant life, it is dense with ruins. The central attraction here is the massive Pyramid of the Magician, standing 115 feet tall; climbing the steps of this steep and richly decorated structure gives way to sweeping views. Among its grassy savannas, Uxmal also hosts the Nunnery Quadrangle--thought to have been a military academy or training facility--and the Governor's Palace, an enormous building featuring a façade made of 103 stone masks. Much of Uxmal is adorned with images and motifs of the rain god Chac, thought by the Mayans to increase the city's water supply.
