high on the court walls. Competition must have been fierce indeed�losers were put to death.
Chich�n Itz� was more than a religious and ceremonial site. It was also a sophisticated urban center and hub of regional trade. But after centuries of prosperity and absorbing influxes of other cultures like the Toltecs, the city met a mysterious end.
During the 1400s people abandoned Chich�n Itz� to the jungle. Though they left behind amazing works of architecture and art, the city�s inhabitants left no known record of why they abandoned their homes. Scientists speculate that droughts, exhausted soils, and royal quests for conquest and treasure may have contributed to Chich�n Itz�'s downfall.
Recently this World Heritage site was accorded another honor. In a worldwide vote Chich�n Itz� was named one of the New Seven Wonders of the World
