Chichen Itza (pronounce /tʃiːˈtʃɛn iːˈtsɑː/); from Yucatec Maya: Chi'ch'èen Ìitsha', "At the mouth of the well of the Itza") is a large pre-Columbian archaeological site built by the Maya civilization located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula, in the Yucatán state, present-day Mexico.