Chichen Itza - A Popular Tourist Destination in Mexico

Loren Wesley Vankirk, a longtime electrical contractor, leads Vankirk Electric as CEO. In this capacity, he leverages more than 40 years of experience in the field to oversee daily operations of the electrical construction company and handle its financing, marketing, and strategy. An avid traveler, Loren Wesley Vankirk has seen numerous places in Europe and is fond of visiting Mexico.

One of the most popular tourist attractions in Mexico is Chichen Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula. A huge Mayan city, Chichen Itza was built around 400 AD and had grown into a center of Mayan economic and political activity just 200 years later. 

The city was comprised of various types of stone structures, including commercial and residential buildings. These buildings covered close to two square miles. Along the outskirts of the city, there were smaller homes that made up suburban-esque areas. However, some of the most notable structures in the city were the pyramid, El Castillo; a large cenote (sacred spring); and the astronomical observatory, El Caracol. These structures were testament to the Mayan’s advanced civilization.

Over the next several centuries, Chichen Itza was abandoned a few times by the Itzas, a Maya group, before being conquered by the Toltecs. The influence of the Toltecs was strong and pushed Chichen Itza into becoming a religious and trade center. These conquerors also introduced the practice of human sacrifice to the Itzas.

When the Mayan civilization fell into decline in the late 1400s and early 1500s, the city became entirely abandoned. It remained lost until a New York lawyer rediscovered it in 1842. Since then, Chichen Itza has undergone significant restorations by the Mexican government and Carnegie Institute, and has become a popular tourist destination.