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Chichen Itza Polity

Type Object Region Yucatan Peninsula Time c. 900–1200

Chichen Itza was one of the most important Maya-Toltec fusion polities of the Yucatan Peninsula's Postclassic period, flourishing roughly 900–1200 CE.

Timeline

  1. c. 900–1000Chichen Itza · Yucatan StateToltec elements from central Mexico seeped into the Yucatan; Chichen Itza's rulers integrated native Maya traditions with the cult of the Feathered Serpent and warrior symbolism, beginning construction of temples and colonnaded buildings with Toltec-style features.
  2. c. 1000–1150Chichen Itza · Yucatan StateThe Temple of the Feathered Serpent (El Castillo), the Temple of the Warriors, the Group of a Thousand Columns, and the Great Ball Court were completed; the polity controlled trade routes in salt, cacao, and feathers, and sacrificial rites at the Sacred Well reinforced religious authority, making it the political center of the northern Yucatan.
  3. c. 1150–1200Chichen Itza · Yucatan StateInternal factional struggles and the rise of rival polities such as Maya Pan weakened Chichen Itza's hegemony; large-scale construction ceased and the population declined; by the 1270s the polity was no longer the dominant political force in the Yucatan, though the site continued to be used locally.

Sources