Temple of the Warriors

Introduction

The Temple of the Warriors stands in the central precinct of Chichen Itza, north-east of El Castillo, a shrine atop a four-tiered stepped pyramid. At the head of the stair sits a reclining Chac Mool whose disc is thought to have received offerings, flanked by feathered-serpent columns; the columns and walls carry reliefs of warriors, jaguars, eagles and hummingbirds, an image world blending Maya and Toltec elements and often compared with the warrior columns at Tula in central Mexico. In front spreads the Group of the Thousand Columns, of which about 84 square pillars survive from a once-vast roofed space, interpreted as a market, assembly or ritual hall, with traces of paint still on the colonnade. The complex dates roughly from AD 900 to 1200 and embodies the later military and ceremonial authority of the city. The temple cannot be climbed and the reliefs must not be touched. There is no separate ticket: admission to Chichen Itza covers it, with state and federal portions paid at two on-site windows in MXN. The site runs 08:00-17:00, five minutes from El Castillo, on a circuit with the Skull Platform, the Platform of the Eagles and Jaguars, the Great Ball Court and the Sacred Cenote; allow 2.5 to 4 hours for the whole zone.

✨ Highlights

🛈 Practical Info