Chichén Itzá

Title

Chichén Itzá

Publisher

Lawrence Technological University

Date Created

January 24, 2018

Alternative Title or Name

El Castillo

Temple of Kukulkan

Creator2

Aluzzo, Adrienne (photographer)

Work Type

Single Built Works

Date

c. 1000

Work Location

Mexico (nation)

Chichén Itzá (deserted settlement)

Style/Period

Late Classic

Subject

stepped pyramids

Description

View of El Castillo at Chichen Itza, Mexico. "Kukulkan Pyramid was built for astronomical purposes and during the vernal equinox (March 20) and the autumnal equinox (September 21) at about 3pm the sunlight bathes the western balustrade of the pyramid's main stairway. This causes 7 isosceles triangles to form imitating the body of a serpent roughly 37 yards long that creeps downwards until it joins the huge serpent's head carved in stone at the bottom of the stairway. Mexican researcher Luis El Arochi calls it "the symbolic descent of Kukulkan" (means the feathered serpent), and believes it could have been connected with agricultural rituals,"--Chichen Itza website.

Material/Medium

stone (worked rock)
limestone

Measurements

79 feet tall, 152 feet at base

Reproduction Type

jpeg

ID Number

2017MX-046

Files

2017MX-046.JPG
Date Added
January 16, 2018
Collection
LTU Digital Images
Item Type
VRA Core
Tags
, ,
Citation
“Chichén Itzá,” LTU Digital Images, accessed March 28, 2024, https://ltuimagecollection.omeka.net/items/show/17432.