Located at the center of the Floating Island is an amphitheater of solid stone masonry: the Arena. It’s a rectangular shaped enclosure with soft sand coating the ground. At the center, there appears to be a wide, circular grate that allows blood to drip through to the earth below. A wide pit sits between the sandy floor of the arena As a showcase for blood sports, the Arena is actually surprisingly well-kept in comparison to the Temples.

Decorating the walls are several rows of tzompantli, better known as ‘skull racks’. One can imagine what these shelves display. The walls are carved with depictions of what appears to be battles and conflicts, ultimately lending their significance to visual representations of Kukulcan and his various incarnations. These reliefs manifest themselves elsewhere on other architectural elements, such as on the comb roofs, stair stringers, columns, and arches. On either side of the Arena sit two step pyramids with small chambers beneath it that house the combatants until they are ready to enter the Arena.

When events are not taking place, the Arena is completely deserted. During Arena events, it’s a very different sort of story. Not only are the torches lit, but the seating appears to be alive with hundreds of strange, shadowy, twisting figures.