One of the seven wonders of the world is the architectural wonder of the ancient Mayan civilization. Located in the current Mexican state of Yucatan, in the center of the ancient city of Chichen Itza, is their sacred temple, El Castillo. This temple was dedicated to the deity Kukulkan, a feathered serpent deity.

The Mayan civilization flourished more than 4000 years ago. The Mayans were one of the most advanced civilizations of their age in multiple different sectors. They were skilled architects and created many beautiful cities with plastered roads. El Castillo is situated in one of their greatest cities, Chichen Itza, that attracts thousands of tourists every year.

The El Castillo Temple is a Mesoamerican pyramidal structure standing 100 feet tall. The pyramid is quadrangular, consisting of a series of terraces. The upper terraces are smaller than the ones below it. Each corner has nine terraces representing the nine levels of the Mayan underworld. Four staircases rise to the topmost platform from four sides of the pyramid. Each staircase has 91 stairs combined with the topmost platform, creating 365 stairs in total, mimicking the 365 days of the year. The foot of the staircase is decorated with serpent heads. At the top of the pyramid is the temple summit, consisting of two chambers. This was the main ceremonial space for religious activities.

El Castillo was made of locally available materials. Limestone was abundant in the region. The limestone was quarried locally. It was really difficult to cut out the perfectly shaped stone without the help of modern tools. The workers used tools made by sharpening stones and often joined with a wooden handle.

The construction techniques of El Castillo showcase the excellent engineering knowledge of the Mayan people. One of the techniques they used was keystone or jigsaw construction, which involved the stones interlocking with each other without using any mortar. They used a corbelled arch system in the temple passageways. The shape of the temple proves how much preciseness in engineering the architects needed to have to build such a perfect structure.

The temple not only showcases the engineering magnificence but also the artistic side of the Mayans. The temple was decorated with intricate sculptural decoration.

Some interesting facts about El Castillo come with its architectural features. If you clap your hands in front of the temple staircase, it reflects the sound of a bird chirping, named the quetzal bird. The clapping noise scatters against the temple’s high and narrow limestone steps, creating a chirp-like tone that declines in frequency. During the equinox days, another amazing phenomenon is seen on the side of the staircase of El Castillo. On the day of the equinox, the shadow of the stepped terraces is cast over the side of the staircase and creates the serpent body meeting the head of the serpent. Thousands of people gather around the temple to experience this amazing incident.