Chichen Itza (Civ5)

Chichen Itza
World wonder of the Medieval Era
Introduced in Civilization V
Production cost	300
Culture	+1
Great People points	1 Great Engineer points
Technology	Civil Service
Effect
Length of Golden Age increased by 50% +4 Happiness

Back to the list of wonders

 "The katun is established at Chichen Itza. The settlement of the Itza shall take place there. The quetzal shall come, the green bird shall come. Ah Kantenal shall come. It is the word of God. The Itza shall come."
– The Books of Chilam Balam

Game Info

• +4 Happiness
• Length of Golden Ages increased by 50%

Strategy

The bonus of Chichen Itza combines an important main bonus (the extension of Golden Ages) and good yield bonuses. AI players are prone to rushing it. If you want to be able to construct it, you should rush Civil Service, which is not easy - it requires three Classical Era technologies which themselves aren't easy to rush. Keep in mind that if you finish this wonder on the same turn that a Golden Age starts, it will not extend that Golden Age.

This wonder is especially recommended for civilizations whose unique abilities depend on Golden Ages, such as the Persians and Brazilians. It's also important to note that Happiness often stagnates during the Medieval and Renaissance Eras, and this wonder (as well as Notre Dame) is effective in increasing it.

Civilopedia entry

Chichen Itza is an extraordinary city of stone built in the Yucatan, Mexico. Some of the oldest buildings and pyramids date back to 1500 years ago and are of Toltec and Mayan origin.

Chichen Itza consists of buildings, temples and courtyards of stone. A large "pok tap ok" or ceremonial ball court stands off to one side. (Ceremonial ball is that most interesting of games in which two sides sought to pass the ball through hoops at each end of the court. The captain of the winning team was then beheaded as a sacrifice to the gods.) Though the city is much ravaged by time (and looters), there still remain many beautiful stone carvings and statues.

At the center of the city stands the mighty stepped pyramid of Kukulcan, also known as "El Castillo." Constructed around the 13th century, El Castillo is approximately 180 feet square at the base and 78 feet in height. As was the Mayan practice, Kukulcan was constructed atop an older and smaller pyramid.

Chichen Itza was a thriving city until the 13th century, when revolt and civil war broke out among the Mayans, at which point the city went into a steep decline from which it never recovered. The center of the city was largely abandoned and in ruins by the time of the Spanish Conquest of the Yucatan in the 16th century.

Gallery

Chichen Itza completion art

See also

• Chichen Itza in other games