El Caracol, Chichen Itza

This article is about the pre-Columbian structure at Chichen Itza. For the hydrological feature near Mexico City, see El Caracol.
El Caracol
Upper part of the tower

El Caracol, the Observatory, is a unique structure at pre-Columbian Maya civilization site of Chichen Itza. El Caracol, which means 'snail' in Spanish, is so named due to the spiral staircase inside the tower.[1]

  1. ^ Sharer & Traxler (2006, p.563)