archaeological evidence that indicates Chich�n Itz� was at one time looted and sacked, there appears to be greater evidence that it could not have been by Mayapan, at least not when Chich�n Itz� was an active urban center. Archaeological data now indicates that Chichen Itza declined as a regional center by 1250 CE, before the rise of Mayapan. Ongoing research at the site of Mayapan may help resolve this chronological conundrum.
While Chich�n Itz� �collapsed� or fallen (meaning elite activities ceased) it may not have been abandoned. When the Spanish arrived, they found a thriving local population, although it is not clear from Spanish sources if Maya were living in Chichen Itza or nearby. The relatively high density of population in the region was one of the factors behind the conquistadors' decision to locate a capital there. According to post-Conquest sources, both Spanish and Maya, theCenote Sagrado remained a place of pilgrimage.
Spanish conquest
In 1526 Spanish Conquistador Francisco de Montejo (a veteran of the Grijalva and Cort�s expeditions) successfully petitioned the King of Spain for a charter to conquer Yucat�n. His first campaign in 1527, which covered much of the Yucat�n peninsula, decimated his forces but ended with the establishment of a small fort at Xaman Ha', south of what is today Canc�n. Montejo returned to Yucat�n in 1531 with reinforcements and established his main base at Campeche on the west coast. He sent his son, Francisco Montejo The Younger, in late 1532 to conquer the interior of the Yucat�n Peninsula from the north. The objective from the beginning was to go to Chich�n Itz� and establish a capital.
Montejo the Younger eventually arrived at Chichen Itza, which he renamed Ciudad Real. At first he encountered no resistance, and set about dividing the lands around the city and awarding them to his soldiers. The Maya became more hostile over time, and eventually they laid siege to the Spanish, cutting off
