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El Castillo (Spanish pronunciation: [el kas'tiʎo], 'the Castle'), also known as the Temple of Kukulcan is a Mesoamerican step-pyramid that dominates the center of the Chichen Itza archaeological site in the Mexican state of Yucatán. The temple building is more formally designated by archaeologists as Chichen Itza Structure 5B18.
The temple was identified by the first Spaniards to see it, as El Castillo ("the castle"), and it regularly is referred to as such. [44] This step pyramid stands about 30 meters (98 ft) high and consists of a series of nine square terraces, each approximately 2.57 meters (8.4 ft) high, with a 6-meter (20 ft) high temple upon the summit.
El Castillo is the “axis mundi” of the site, or the intersection of the two cardinal lines. Evidence of construction suggests the temple was built in two stages (the earlier dubbed Structure A-6–2nd, which dates to around 800 AD, and the later Structure A-6–1st).
El Castillo, Chichen Itza. Mesoamerican pyramids form a prominent part of ancient Mesoamerican architecture.Although similar in some ways to Egyptian pyramids, these New World structures have flat tops (many with temples on the top) and stairs ascending their faces, more similar to ancient Mesopotamian Ziggurats.
Lubaantun includes many small step pyramids in addition to its far larger one. Nim Li Punit. Belize Building Maya: 12 400 to 800 CE Nim Li Punit has several small-step pyramids, but none that possessed the sheer mass of other examples. Xunantunich. Belize El Castillo Maya: 40 600 to 900 CE San Andrés. El Salvador the Bell of San Andrés Maya ...
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El Castillo, Chichen Itza served as a temple to Kukulkan. During the spring and fall equinoxes the shadow cast by the angle of the sun and edges of the nine steps of the pyramid combined with the northern stairway and the stone serpent head carvings create the illusion of a massive serpent descending the pyramid.
Pyramid El Castillo (The Castle), 2022 Windows in El Castillo's sea-facing wall. Tulum was protected on one side by steep sea cliffs and on the landward side by a wall that averaged about 3–5 meters (10–16 ft) in height. The wall also was about 8 m (26 ft) thick and 400 m (1,300 ft) long on the side parallel to the sea.