The Platform of Skulls, a T-shaped stone structrue sixty meters long and twelve meters wide, was dedicated to the glory of military conquest and ritual sacrifice. It was here that prisoners heads as well as those of other sacrificial victims were displayed for all the inhabitants to view.

The central panel of the the platform is carved with three horizontal rows of skulls. There are also representations of eagles and warriors caryying human heads in their hands.

The decoration served as a reminder of the aggression of the military chiefs and as a terrifying warning to anyone who might attack the city.

During the excavation of the platform several human skulls as well as a statue of the Chac-Mool were discovered.

[Based on Let's Learn about Chichén-Itzá , Chichén-Itzá: The City of the Wise Men of the Water. by Roman Chan, All About the Mayas. by C. Dorese. published by Producción Editorial Dante (Mérida, Mexico) and Incidents of Travel in the Yucatan by Stephens and Catherwood published by Smithsonian Institute Press (Washington D.C.). All available in paperback and highly recommended.]