El Castillo at Chichén Itzá – Frederick Catherwood (1844)

Chichén Itzá as the first explorers saw it: the great pyramid of El Castillo swallowed by the jungle. In this 1844 view, Frederick Catherwood shows the Temple of Kukulcán long before its restoration. Trees grow from its steps, the temple at the summit is crumbling, and in the foreground lies one of the giant feathered-serpent heads that guard the base of the staircase.

The English artist and architect travelled through Central America and Yucatán between 1839 and 1842 with the American writer John Lloyd Stephens. Their books revealed the ancient Maya cities to the world. Catherwood drew the ruins with remarkable precision, sometimes using a camera lucida, and published 25 of his finest views in Views of Ancient Monuments in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan (London, 1844). This plate is one of the most famous.

El Castillo, the pyramid of the feathered serpent

Built by the Maya between the 9th and 12th centuries, El Castillo is dedicated to Kukulcán, the feathered serpent god. At the spring and autumn equinoxes, the setting sun casts a play of light and shadow on the northern staircase that looks like a serpent slithering down to the stone head at its base. Chichén Itzá has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1988.

• Artist: Frederick Catherwood (1799-1854)
• Date: 1844
• Source: Views of Ancient Monuments in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan
• Technique: colour lithograph
• Place: Chichén Itzá, Yucatán, Mexico

A striking piece for a travel-themed interior, a study or a living room with a taste for exploration. Discover all of Catherwood’s Maya views in our Frederick Catherwood collection.