The Itza Maya are currently believed to have originated in the Lake Peten region of western Guatemala. They spoke a language in the Maya family that would not have been mutually intelligible to Mayas living in the northern Yucatan Peninsula 1500 years ago. The word Itza had two possible translations. It literally means “corn tamale” in the Itza language. However, ethnologists have proposed that it might have also been the combination of two words, Itz – ha, which means “magic water.”
The Itza Maya were probably associated with the cultural advances of early Maya civilization around “El Mirador.” (See article on Early Maya Architecture.) When the region around El Mirador was virtually abandoned around 400 AD – probably due to an attack by enemies – the Itza dispersed. Some came to live among the peoples of the hot, humid Tabasco coastal plain. The immigrant Itza probably stimulated cultural advancement and adaptation of some Maya cultural traits.
For the next few centuries, the Itza remained at the edge of advanced Maya culture. Their architecture returned to simpler forms. However, when violent wars, combined with drought and famine, caused the powerful Maya city states to weaken, the Itzas moved northward and occupied part of the northern Yucatan peninsula. Their most important city was Chichen Itza, when means “mouth of the Itza well.” The northern Yucatan Peninsula had almost no surface streams, so possession of natural sink holes, called “cenotes” was mandatory for a city to thrive.
More at
http://www.examiner.com/x-40598-Architecture--Design-Examiner~y2010m4d15-The-Mesoamerican-connection-part-four--the-Itza-Maya-and-Chichen-Itza
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