Chichen Itza means Well of the Itza, referring to an enormous natural well located at the site of the ancient city. Itza is the tag archeologists gave to the sea faring warriors who arrived in the area in the eighth century. Prior to that, the plateau had been populated by proto-Mayan tribes for over 6000 years. The Itza first colonized the northern coast of the Yucatan peninsula, then moved inland, establishing their central capital at Chichen Itza. These people are the ones we know as the Maya today.
The Maya tried a different form of government at Chichen Itza then they had previously attempted. Chichen Itza was ruled by a council of many lords, rather than the previous single ruler. Chichen Itza became the pivot of several allied cities, and was occupied by the Maya continuously for several centuries.
Toltec influence is found in many of the architectural and artistic features of the great city. The Maya maintained trade relations with the Tula Toltecs and other Mesoamerican peoples of the day.
Probably the most important ceremonial structure found at Chichen Itza is The Temple of Kukulkan (the feathered god, also known as Quetzalcoatl). This ninety foot tall pyramid was built during the eleventh to thirteenth centuries upon the ruins of previous temples. This temple is a storehouse of information on the Mayan calendar. Each face of the pyramid has 91 steps, which when added together with the shared top step, add up to 365, the number of days in a year. Each face of the pyramid is divided by a central stairway into 18 segment, representing the 18 months of the Mayan year. The pyramid is oriented to reflect the equinoxes and solstices each year.