Chichén Itzá and the northern Maya

Chichén Itzá became the leading city of the northern Yucatán between about 600 and 1200, mixing Maya traditions with styles shared with central Mexico, such as the cult of the feathered serpent Kukulcán. Its stepped pyramid is built so that equinox shadows ripple down the north stairway like a serpent. Pilgrims threw jade, gold and sometimes people into its Sacred Cenote, a natural sinkhole.