Tourists and archaeologists alike travel to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico to view the region's famous Mayan ruins. In fact, the ancient sites are so well-known that there's a tourism district named for them: the Riviera Maya. Previously known as the "Cancun-Tulum corridor," the Riviera spans 80 miles along Mexico's Caribbean coast.

This increasingly popular destination includes a plethora of ruins, including iconic sites such as Chichen Itza and smaller areas like Muyil. Keep scrolling to see 17 incredible images of the Riviera Maya.

Also known as El Castillo ("The Castle") — the name it was given by Spanish conquistadors — the Pyramid of Kukulcan is the largest pyramid in the Chichen Itza temple complex.

Built on top of an existing temple, the Pyramid of Kukulcan was constructed between 800 and 900 CE. It measures about 79 feet tall, not including the temple that crowns the structure.

The pyramid boasts 365 steps to represent each day in the Haab, a Mayan cyclical calendar that was approximately based on the solar year.

Kukulcan, a snake deity, is the Mayan equivalent of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl.

Legend has it that the feathered serpent god Kukulcan — known as Quetzalcoatl in Aztec mythology — returns to his namesake temple twice a year, on the equinox. His appearance is said to bring a full harvest and good health.

There are several watchtower-like structures throughout Chichen Itza — and they served an important purpose.

In 2012, experts on Maya culture surmised that the watchtower-style buildings were used to observe the equinoxes and solstices.

The structures' bases were built into the walls of a ceremonial court where Mayans would play a ritual ball game that mimicked the sun's movement through the sky. After reconstructing the stone-roofed buildings, archaeologists realized they featured narrow slits which aligned with the sun's rays during the winter solstice.