Uxmal ruins as seen from top of the grand pyramid
Uxmal is an impressive Mayan site built in the "Puuc" style, a style famous for its facade filled with relief of the ancient Mayan rain God, Chaac Mool. "Uxmal", by the by, means thrice built in Mayan. But the archaeologists have determined that it has been rebuilt at least five times.
The
most imposing structure here is the Casa del Adivino (magician's house),
35m tall temple with rounded corners. It is named so after a legend which
claims
that it was built over one night by a dwarf trying to flaunt his magic
skills. The square behind the structure, known as the cuadrangulo de las
Monjas (nunnery quadrangle), gives a good historical account of the place.
The square is surrounded by four temples on each side, each one having
been built during a different era. The older ones dominated unilaterally
by Chaac Mool and the newer ones sharing its facade with Chaac Mool and
Kukulcan (Mayan name for the Toltec God, Quetzalcoatl), the clear indication
of the influence the central Mexican Toltec culture had on the region in
the later years of Mayan history.
The southern section of the ruins contains an
architecturally rich 100m long Palacio del Gobernador (governor's palace)
and El Gran Piramide (the grand pyramid). Scaling the 32m high grand pyramid
rewards you with a breathtaking view of the entire complex.
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