Yucatan - December 2007
Chichen Itza
The Nunnery Complex

After the Temple of the Sculpted Tablets is the Nunnery Complex.  The Nunnery Complex  actually comprises several temples including Nunnery Pyramid, the Church, the Annex, and a couple of other temples with no names.  These 2 photos are panoramas that my software warped the temples.  The Nunnery Complex was done in the Mayan Puuc architectural style.  I love this part of Chichen Itza, especially the Annex.


According to the INAH Plaque accompanying this complex, 2 patios with Puuc style temples complement the Complex.  Archaeologists suspect that the Mayan nobility or members of a high social class inhabited these temples.  A Ball Court decorated with reliefs featuring players on the east, northeast, and south sides also complements the Complex.  The upper facade of the East Patio contains latticework and sculpted masks of gods with prominent noses.  The small Southwest Patio contains a structure with a warrior relief on the extended back wall of a long bench.

The north view of the Church, the Annex, and the Nunnery Pyramid in the Nunnery Complex at Chichen Itza
Map of the Nunnery ComplexYUCATAN-CHICHENITZA-NUNNERYCOMPLEX-Map-2007.htmlshapeimage_4_link_0
The East view: the Nunnery Pyramid, the Annex, and the Church