Platform of Venus and Round Platform

The Platform of Venus closely resembles the platform of the same name in the Plaza of the Castle. At the center of one of its panels is a relief of Serpent Bird Man, considered a representation of Quetzalcóatl-Kukulcán as the Morning Star. Toward the stairway appears matting that symbolizes power, and at the corners are forms interpreted as the Knotting of the Years alongside the planet Venus. The platform was originally painted red, green, ocre, blue, and black. In the eastern stairway, an offering was found consisting of the skull of a decapitated man. The Round Platform, one of the few buildings of its shape in Chichén Itzá, contained a container with offerings and a small stone-paved area. These buildings probably served as podiums for ceremonies, rites, or dances.

Yucatán · Mexico