Grupo de las Mil Columnas Chichén Itzá

This group east of El Castillo pyramid takes its name – which means ‘Group of the Thousand Columns’ – from the forest of pillars stretching south and east. The star attraction here is the Templo de los Guerreros (Temple of the Warriors), adorned with stucco and stone-carved animal deities. At the top of its steps is a classic reclining chac-mool figure, sadly not visible from behind the ropes. Many of the columns in front of the temple are carved with figures of warriors. Archaeologists working in 1926 discovered a structure known as the Temple of the Chac-Mool lying beneath the Temple of the Warriors.You can walk through the columns on its south side to reach the Columnata Noreste, notable for the ‘big-nosed god’ masks on its facade. Some have been reassembled on the ground around the statue. Just to the south are the remains of the Baño de Vapor (Steam Bath or Sweat House) with an underground oven and drains for the water.

The sweat houses (there are two on-site) were regularly used for ritual purification.