El Templo de los Guerreros (Temple of the Warriors) consists of a large stepped pyramid fronted and flanked by El Grupo de las Mil Columns (Plaza or Group of a Thousand Columns)--200 carved columns lined in rows depicting Toltec warriors. Built around 950 A.D.., the temple rests on top of 4 platforms that measure 41 square meters at the base and rise 11 meters high. Atop the pyramid is a statue of Chac Mool, where it was believed the hearts of people who were sacrificed were displayed. At the top of the main staircase are carvings of male figures, believed to have held flags on ceremonial occasions. The exposed columns, each about 2.6 meters high and laid in a quadrangle plan, were once painted in bright colors to support a frieze and roof, forming El Templo de Las Mil Columnas (The Temple of a Thousand columns), which was built between 900 and 1200 AD. It is believed that these were great meeting halls. Chichén Itzá, a large Pre-Columbian city built by the Maya people of the Terminal Classical period in the Northern Maya Lowlands, is one of the most visited archaeological sites of Pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica. A religious, military, political, and commercial centre, at its peak, it is thought to have home to 35,000 people. The site has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was voted as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. The city, centered around two cenotes (chi meaning "mouths" and chen meaning "wells"), was initially during the 6th century. An influx of foreign influence during the 10th century--perhaps through a conquering people, or a migration--particularly by the Toltec of Central Mexico, led to the construction of the major buildings on the site--El Castillo, the 24-mneter tall pyramid Temple of Kukulcán; the ball court, and Temple of Warriors and Group of a Thousand Columns--probably during the Early Post Classic Period (c. 900-1200). In the Late Classic Period (1200-1540), Chichén appears to have been eclipsed by the rise of the city of Mayapán and the city was left to the jungle when the Spanish conquered in the 16th century. Excavation began in the 19th century, and the site became one of Mexico’s prime archaeological zones.