The Maya city of Chichén Itzá, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988, has been under archaeological exploration since 1993. Several major archaeological investigations have been conducted, focusing on its architecture, mural painting, iconography, and other realms of material culture. The five articles that make up this Special Section further contribute to explaining Chichén Itzá as a Maya site that had its heyday in the late Classic period. This set of works offers new interpretations derived from rigorous analysis of archaeological data, and supports novel inferences about the society and culture that flourished at Chichén Itzá during the Terminal Classic period.