El Castillo - Chichen Itza

Dominating the main platform of Chichén is the Temple of Kukulkan (the Maya name for Quetzalcoatl), often referred to as El Castillo (the castle). This step pyramid, slightly more than 29 meters high, consists of a series of square terraces, each slightly more than 2.5 meters high, with a 6-meter-high temple at the top. The sides of the pyramid are approximately 55.3 meters at the base and rise at an angle of 53 degrees, although that varies slightly for each side. The four faces of the pyramid have protruding stairways that rise at a 45-degree angle. At the base of the balustrades of the northern staircase are carved heads of a serpent.