Uxmal, Yucatán
View of Uxmal from the Great Pyramid. Photo by Palimp Sesto.
The magnificent Pyramid of the Magician at Uxmal. Photo by TandV.
The Pyramid of the Magician with bright flowers. Photo by Shaun Che.
Closer view of the Pyramid of the Magician. Photo by Steve Bridger.
The Governor's Palace. Photo by David Pham.
The Nunnery Quadrangle. Photo by Alfred Diem.
Uxmal site map. © Frommer's
Sculptures of the god Chac. Photos by Alfred Diem and Ivan Paganacci.
The House of the Turtles. Photo: Gerard Grandjean.
View over the ball court (hoop at left). Photo by Alfred Diem.
The late-Classic Maya site of Uxmal (pronounced "oosh-mahl" and meaning "thrice-built") dates from before the 10th century AD and is one of the most complex and harmonious expressions of Puuc architecture.
Puuc means "hilly country," and is the name given to the hills nearby and the predominant style of ancient architecture found here. Puuc decoration, which abounds at Uxmal, is characterized by elaborate stonework from door tops to the roofline.
A major highlight of a Yucatán vacation, the rich geometric stone facades and imposing buildings of Uxmal are perhaps the most beautiful on the peninsula.
The Uxmal area was occupied as early as 800 BC, but the great building period took place from 700 to 1000 AD, when Uxmal's population reached about 25,000.
After 1000 AD, Uxmal fell under the sway of the Xiú princes, and in the 1440s, the Xiú conquered Mayapán. Not long afterward, the age of the Maya ended with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.
The real function of many of the structures is unknown, and they retain the fanciful names given them by the Spanish.
Unlike most Yucatan sites, Uxmal has no cenotes (natural wells), and water was collected in man-made cisterns, one of which can be seen near the entrance. The scarcity of water may explain the popularity of the rain god Chac throughout the site.
At 35 m (115 ft), the Magician's Pyramid is the tallest structure at Uxmal. It was begun in the 6th century AD and expanded over the next 400 years. The pyramid is also known as the Pyramid of the Dwarf, after a legend about a mystical dwarf who reached adulthood in a single day after being hatched from an egg, and who built this pyramid in one night.
The pyramid is unique because of its rounded sides, height, and steepness, and the doorway on the opposite (west) side near the top. The doorway's heavy ornamentation features 12 stylized masks of the rain god Chac. Beneath the Magician's Pyramid are five earlier structures; it was common for the Mayas to build new structures on top of old ones at regular intervals.
The Nunnery Quadrangle was given its name by the 16th-century Spanish historian Fray Diego López de Cogullado because it reminded him of a Spanish convent. It may have been a military academy or a training school for princes, who would have lived in the 70-odd rooms.
The buildings were constructed at different times: The northern one was first; then the southern, eastern, and western buildings. The western building has the most richly decorated facade, composed of intertwined stone snakes and numerous masks of the hook-nosed rain god Chac. Above each doorway in the the archway to the south of the Nunnery Quadrangle features the motif of a Maya cottage, or nah, which is still seen throughout the Yucatán today.
In its size and intricate stonework, the Governor's Palace rivals the Magician's Pyramid as the masterpiece of Uxmal. It's an imposing three-level edifice with a 97m (320-ft.) long mosaic facade, built in the 9th and 10th centuries.
If you stand back from the Palace on the east side, the 103 stone masks of Chac seem to undulate across the facade like a serpent. They end at the corners, where there are columns of masks. In the open plaza in front of the Palace is the Jaguar Throne, carved like a two-headed jaguar, which the Mayas associated with chiefs and kings.
Fray Cogullado also gave this building its name, and he may have been more accurate this time - the Governor's Palace may have been the administrative center of the Xiú principality, which included the region around Uxmal. The Governor's Palace probably had astrological significance as well.
For years, scholars pondered why this building was constructed slightly turned from adjacent buildings. Recently scholars of archaeoastronomy (a relatively new science that studies the placement of archaeological sites in relation to the stars) discovered that the central doorway, which is larger than the others, is in perfect alignment with Venus.
The Turtle House is a simply decorated rectangular building on the terrace south of the ball court. The temple is named for the frieze of small turtles in procession around the top of building. Though much smaller and less elaborate than other structures, its harmony and elegance makes it one of the gems of Uxmal.
From Uxmal you can follow the Puuc route through four smaller sites in quick succession: Sayil, Kabah, Xlapak, and Labná.
Map
Location map and satellite view of Uxmal. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. You can explore all of Mexico from space on our Mexico Map.
| Names: | Uxmal ("Oosh-mahl") |
| Type of site: | Mayan ruins |
| Temples: | Pyramid of the Magician; Great Pyramid; Governor's Palace, House of the Turtles; Nunnery Quadrangle |
| Dates: | Flourished 700-1000 AD |
| Architecture: | Puuc |
| Location: | 80km (50 miles) SW of Mérida, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. |
| Hours: | Daily 8am-5pm |
| Cost: | $10 including sound and light show |
| Facilities: | Restaurant; toilets; first-aid station; shops selling soft drinks, ice cream, film, batteries, and books; state-run crafts house; small museum. |
| Tip: | If staying the night in Uxmal, you might plan to arrive late in the day, buy a ticket to see the sound-and-light show that evening, then explore the ruins the next morning before it gets hot. Make sure that the ticket vendor knows your intentions and keep the ticket. |
