What is so special about El Castillo?
El Castillo—in Spanish, “the castle”—looms at the center of Chichén Itzá, a 79-foot pyramid of stone. Also known as the Pyramid of Kukulkán, the structure embodies Mayan myth along with natural astronomical cycles. The phenomenon that El Castillo is famous for occurs twice each year, at the spring and fall equinoxes.
What happened at El Castillo in Chichen Itza?
Around the spring and autumn equinoxes, the late afternoon sun strikes off the northwest corner of the pyramid and casts a series of triangular shadows against the northwest balustrade, creating the illusion of the feathered serpent “crawling” down the pyramid.
What did you find most interesting or surprising about El Castillo?
El Castillo is a great example of the unbelievably precise mathematic, astronomic and architectural knowledge the ancient Mayans had. For example, the pyramid has four sides, each with its own set of stairways. The sides all have a total of 91 steps.
What do the steps of El Castillo represent?
Typical of Mayan pyramids, El Castillo serves as a monumental representation of the Mayan calendar. The structure is made up of nine levels which represent the nine levels of the ‘afterlife’. Each of the four sides consists of a series of terraces which total 18 – the number of months in the Mayan year.
What is El Castillo made of?
Limestone
El Castillo/Materials
What is inside a Mayan pyramid?
In the 1930s, however, a group of excavators began exploring and discovered that another pyramid-temple was nestled within the larger pyramid. Further excavations revealed that it had nine platforms, a single stairway, and a temple containing human remains, a jade-studded jaguar throne, and a so-called Chac Mool.
Why was the Chichen Itza made?
Why was Chichen Itza built? At its height, Chichen Itza was home to Mayan people from all areas of the Yucatan Peninsula. Historians believe that Chichen Itza was founded and rose to prominence due to its close proximity to the Xtoloc cenote, an underground source of fresh water.
What is the most important part of El Castillo?
The most famous attraction on the site is the step pyramid known as “El Castillo” which has a temple on the top of it.
Why is Chichen Itza so important?
Chichen Itza as a Capital Via its port at Isla Cerritos on the northern coast, Chichen Itza became an important commercial center, trading in goods—including gold and other treasures—with other cities throughout the Americas. At its height, it is believed that as many as 50,000 people lived in the city.
What is the angle of El Castillo staircases?
The staircases rise at an angle of 45 degrees to the horizontal, while the average inclination of the stepped pyramid itself is 53.3 degrees. The faces of the individual steps are sloped at a greater angle, approximately 73 degrees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy0990wnpc8