El Castillo, Chichen Itza

High school (ages 12+)
Geography

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/el-castillo-chichen-itza

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How tall is El Castillo, Chichen Itza?24 meters (79 feet) plus a 6-meter (20 feet) temple
2. What is the location?Chichen Itza archaeological site, Yucatán, Mexico
3. What is the age?Constructed between the 8th and 12th centuries AD, with an earlier substructure
4. What is El Castillo at Chichen Itza?El Castillo is a giant stone pyramid in Mexico built by the Maya. It has many steps and a temple on top.
5. Why does a snake appear on El Castillo?During the spring and autumn equinoxes the sun shines on the pyramid and makes shadows that look like a feathered serpent called Kukulcan.

Step-pyramid: A monumental structure characterized by a series of receding, stacked platforms or terraces, often topped with a temple or shrine.
Equinox: The astronomical event occurring twice each year when the plane of Earth's equator passes through the geometric center of the Sun's disk, resulting in nearly equal amounts of daylight and darkness.
Deity: A god or goddess, a divine being worshipped as having supernatural power.
Mesoamerica: A historical and cultural region encompassing central and southern Mexico and parts of Central America, known for its complex indigenous civilizations.