ABSTRACT
The largest monumental construction at Chichen Itza is the Great Platform, a leveled surface so large that it dwarfs the Castillo, the Temple of the Warriors, the Group of 1000 Columns, and all the other structures that stand upon it. Yet the construction history of this platform has been poorly understood. Archaeological investigations conducted in 2009 reveal at least ten major construction episodes for the Great Platform, and serve to link the construction sequences of many of the buildings that the platform supports. This long history indicates that the basic orientation and planning of the Great Platform was established at an early date, and that the center of Chichen Itza was not built all at once-by “Toltec” invaders or by “Mexicanized” Maya-but instead slowly evolved. Moreover, the “International” style of art and architecture that dominates the nal stages of construction in the heart of Chichen Itza also developed gradually over time, revealing a pattern of adoption, innovation, and adaptation. In sum, the rulers, architects, and artists of Chichen Itza were not the passive recipients of foreign inuence, but instead were active participants in the creation of the International style. Chichen Itza is justly famous for its beautiful architecture, carved lintels, hieroglyphic texts, stone sculpture, and even painted murals (Figures 1.1, 9.1, and 10.1). For this reason, Chichen Itza has become the most visited archaeological site in southern Mexico and Central America. Each day, an average of 5,000 tourists visit the ancient city, and during the equinoxes the number can be more than 40,000. Tourists are no longer allowed to climb any of the major structures, but they still come to see the Great Ballcourt, the Castillo, the Temple of the Warriors, the Group of 1000 Columns, and other great structures built on the Great Platform (Figure 9.2). Very few are aware that the huge space (roughly 600 by 400 meters) on which they walk is articial and, in fact, the largest construction at Chichen Itza. The main road connecting Merida to Valladolid once passed over the Great Platform, and the remains of a small modern settlement built on it are still clearly visible. Sewage conduits, electrical lines, and irrigation pipes run in, on, and beneath the Great Platform. The surface of the immense plaza has even been scraped and leveled for better acoustics during musical performances. Thus, the Great Platform often has been treated as negative space between structures instead of as the greatest of all monuments at Chichen Itza.
