View of reliefs along one side of the Platform of Eagles and Jaguars at Chichen Itza, Mexico with abstract figures on either side of a skull. “The platform of Eagles and Jaguars … This rectangular platform resembles that of Venus and other constructions built in the Maya – Toltec style. It has four small staircases, one on each side. The balustrades of these steps represent ascending plumed serpents which end with serpent figureheads in the upper part of the building. Prostrate figures are found on the panels and beneath them, eagles and jaguars clutching human hearts. These animals possibly represented warrior castes. The platform was probably used for religious or ceremonial purposes and dates to approximately sometime between 900 and 1200 A.D.”—Plaque at monument.
View of reliefs along the top of one side of the Platform of Eagles and Jaguars at Chichen Itza, Mexico with central skull figure and what may be fish in the upper panel. “The platform of Eagles and Jaguars … This rectangular platform resembles that of Venus and other constructions built in the Maya – Toltec style. It has four small staircases, one on each side. The balustrades of these steps represent ascending plumed serpents which end with serpent figureheads in the upper part of the building. Prostrate figures are found on the panels and beneath them, eagles and jaguars clutching human hearts. These animals possibly represented warrior castes. The platform was probably used for religious or ceremonial purposes and dates to approximately sometime between 900 and 1200 A.D.”—Plaque at monument.
View of relief panels along one side of the Platform of Eagles and Jaguars in Chichen Itza, Mexico. “The platform of Eagles and Jaguars … This rectangular platform resembles that of Venus and other constructions built in the Maya – Toltec style. It has four small staircases, one on each side. The balustrades of these steps represent ascending plumed serpents which end with serpent figureheads in the upper part of the building. Prostrate figures are found on the panels and beneath them, eagles and jaguars clutching human hearts. These animals possibly represented warrior castes. The platform was probably used for religious or ceremonial purposes and dates to approximately sometime between 900 and 1200 A.D.”—Plaque at monument.
Detail view of reliefs from panel on side of the Platform of Eagles and Jaguars in Chichen Itza, Mexico, the central figure appears to be a skull. “The platform of Eagles and Jaguars … This rectangular platform resembles that of Venus and other constructions built in the Maya – Toltec style. It has four small staircases, one on each side. The balustrades of these steps represent ascending plumed serpents which end with serpent figureheads in the upper part of the building. Prostrate figures are found on the panels and beneath them, eagles and jaguars clutching human hearts. These animals possibly represented warrior castes. The platform was probably used for religious or ceremonial purposes and dates to approximately sometime between 900 and 1200 A.D.”—Plaque at monument.
View of reliefs along one side of the Platform of Eagles and Jaguars at Chichen Itza, Mexico. In the upper left some of the original blue and red pigment can still be seen and the figure in the center appears to be a skull. “The platform of Eagles and Jaguars … This rectangular platform resembles that of Venus and other constructions built in the Maya – Toltec style. It has four small staircases, one on each side. The balustrades of these steps represent ascending plumed serpents which end with serpent figureheads in the upper part of the building. Prostrate figures are found on the panels and beneath them, eagles and jaguars clutching human hearts. These animals possibly represented warrior castes. The platform was probably used for religious or ceremonial purposes and dates to approximately sometime between 900 and 1200 A.D.”—Plaque at monument.
Side view of the Platform of Eagles and Jaguars at Chichen Itza, Mexico with relief panels. “The platform of Eagles and Jaguars … This rectangular platform resembles that of Venus and other constructions built in the Maya – Toltec style. It has four small staircases, one on each side. The balustrades of these steps represent ascending plumed serpents which end with serpent figureheads in the upper part of the building. Prostrate figures are found on the panels and beneath them, eagles and jaguars clutching human hearts. These animals possibly represented warrior castes. The platform was probably used for religious or ceremonial purposes and dates to approximately sometime between 900 and 1200 A.D.”—Plaque at monument.
View of steps leading up to the Platform of Eagles and Jaguars at Chichen Itza, Mexico. “The platform of Eagles and Jaguars … This rectangular platform resembles that of Venus and other constructions built in the Maya – Toltec style. It has four small staircases, one on each side. The balustrades of these steps represent ascending plumed serpents which end with serpent figureheads in the upper part of the building. Prostrate figures are found on the panels and beneath them, eagles and jaguars clutching human hearts. These animals possibly represented warrior castes. The platform was probably used for religious or ceremonial purposes and dates to approximately sometime between 900 and 1200 A.D.”—Plaque at monument.
Detail view of bird (eagle?) relief at the Platform of Eagles and Jaguars at Chichen Itza, Mexico. "In ancient Mexican thought, eagles, soaring high into the sky, were symbols of the sun. The sun needed strength to survive the dangerous nightly journey through the darkness of the underworld, and then to rise again each morning. It was the obligation of human beings to provide nourishment for the sun's journey. That food was in the form of human hearts and blood,"--Metropolitan Museum website.
Detail view of bird (eagle?) relief at Platform of Eagles and Jaguars at Chichen Itza, Mexico. "In ancient Mexican thought, eagles, soaring high into the sky, were symbols of the sun. The sun needed strength to survive the dangerous nightly journey through the darkness of the underworld, and then to rise again each morning. It was the obligation of human beings to provide nourishment for the sun's journey. That food was in the form of human hearts and blood,"--Metropolitan Museum website.