he Chachen Ixa Ruins sit deep in the jungle, overgrown by plants. They are uninhabited and clearly have been for some time. The stones are pale and cracked from age and weathering, but still show bits of brilliant color here and there, indicating that some parts at least were painted. Cenotes of varying sizes litter the area surrounding the city.Much of the masonry is carved with designs both simple and intricate, from spirals to elaborate circular calendars. Carvings and statues of creatures both familiar and unseen are common as well. Some of the more elaborate and large statues and carvings also still sometimes have jewels or metals on them.
In the center of the city complex is a large step pyramid. At the top is a flat platform and a small temple inside which a large, carved statue of a Quetzalcoatl stands, complete with ruby eyes and gilded feathers. It is almost completely undamaged due to the sheltering from the small temple's walls. Many visitors come to the ruins for the sole purpose of seeing this statue; some say the statue's ruby eyes glitter strangely even in the low light.
At the base of the pyramid there is a small entrance that frequently goes unnoticed. This opens into a passage that leads some distance away to a large cenote filled with water and fed by the small waterfall cascading down the opposite side. The water at the shore is clear and shallow enough to allow you to see the bottom, where offerings of precious metals and stones lay scattered among bones. What was worshipped here is unclear, but paintings in brilliant blue dye on the walls are reminiscent of the statue in the pyramid temple, although other creatures assumed to be deities also decorate the walls.
The people who lived in this city remain unknown. Time and wear have wiped away many of the clues that could have provided more information. Some local legends among the other people living in the jungle give the impression that a drought drove them away to find a more stable area, but this is unproven.