Chichen Itza Platform of the Skulls

Chichen Itza Platform of the Skulls

Chichen Itza Platform of the Skulls is also known by the name Tzompantli or skull rack, the practice in the Yucatan and other Mayan regions was to display heads impaled on top of one another along the vertical wooden posts. This particular platform was used to memorialize past victims as well as display the heads of sacrificial prisoners or enemies that had died in battle. Used to control the masses and scare the enemy, the platform was built to display the conquests of the state.

The platform is decorated on all sides with skulls, snakes and eagles. There are also warriors carrying human heads.

Tzompantli were built in Aztec and Toltec cultures and thought to have been introduced to the Mayas from the Toltecs. From the inscriptions of the decapitated ball player at the Ball Court, likely the losers ended up as models for this particular Tzompantli.