Story & Photos By Stan Wawer
The stairs of the Great Pyramid were steep and narrow. My guide, Enrique Diaz, advised me to climb them diagonally. It was excellent advice.
When I reached the sacrificial altar, I turned and waved to my wife. Sweat poured down my face from a draining humidity of 90 percent and a temperature of 97 degrees.
I took a deep breath and finished my climb to the top of the pyramid. As I looked out across the jungle at Uxmal’s Mayan ruins, the structures that reached above the canopy glistened in the midday sun. One could not help but admire the architectural genius of the Mayans, people who came to the Yucatan more than 1,500 years ago by way of Siberia and Mongolia.
Uxmal (pronounced oosh-mahl) is about a two-hour bus or car ride from the port of Progreso on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Our bus ride to the ruins took us through colonial Merida, the capital city of the Yucatan. The air-conditioned Mercedes-Benz luxury coach skirted the heart of the city and flew over a well-paved highway
Uxmal is one of the most well known of the Mayan cities and one of the best preserved. The site is more compact than the more famous Chichen Itza, large Mayan ruins about 125 miles southwest of Uxmal. You need to allow at least a half day to see and get the feel of Uxmal but to really explore the ruins and enjoy the sound and light show in the evening, allow eight hours.
The grounds at Uxmal are well tended. Wear good walking shoes, preferably all-terrain or hiking boots, if you intend to climb any of the pyramids.
The name Uxmal means “thrice built” in Mayan, referring to the construction of its highest structure, the Magician’s Pyramid. The Mayans often built a new temple over an existing one. At the Magician’s Pyramid, five stages of construction have been found.
Uxmal was the greatest metropolitan and religious center in the Puuc hills of Yucatan around 600 to 900 AD. Indications are that its rulers also presided over the nearby settlements in Labah, Labna and Sayil.
The Spaniards invaded in 1518 and 1527, destroying more than 1,000 years of Mayan history. In about 1542, the Mayans escaped to the highlands of Central America, mostly to Belize and Guatemala.
Uxmal was abandoned for more than 300 years before it was rediscovered in 1842. Jungle covered the structures.
Slave labor built the pyramids of Egypt. The people who lived in the city built the Mayan structures. Jade was used to cut the limestone. You will see X’s on many of the buildings. The X’s helped the gods hold up the heavens.
Chac was the god of rain and greatly revered by the Maya at Uxmal because of the lack of natural water supplies. Albeit the Yucatan has no surface rivers, most Mayan cities, including Chichen Itza, used deep wells to access underground water. There were no wells at Uxmal; instead it collected water in chultunes or cisterns, built in the ground.
The proximity of the Puuc hills did mean, however, that comparatively rich soil from the hilltop forests was washed down the slopes during storms, making the area one of the most successful agricultural regions of the Yucatan.
The Mayas played sports for high stakes. The captain of the winning team had a great honor bestowed upon him. He was beheaded in a sacrificial ceremony. It’s no wonder the ballgame generally went on for days before a winner was “crowned.” The game was played with a rubber ball in a court about 150 yards long. There were two teams of seven players who were not allowed to touch the ball with their hands. A player could score with a header or kick through the ring on each side of the court. This was a sudden-death event (no pun intended). The first goal won.
The Magician’s Pyramid stands 117 feet high and dominates your view as you enter the city. Built on an elliptical base, this pyramid is the result of five superimposed temples. Parts of the first temple can be seen when ascending the western staircase. The eastern staircase in an inner chamber at the second level accesses the second and third temples. The fourth temple is clearly visible from the west side, a giant Chac mast marks the entrance and Chac’s mouth is the door. Climb to the top of the east stairs to reach the fifth temple and view the entire site.
A collection of four buildings around a quadrangle was named “Casa de las Monjas” The Nunnery) by the Spanish, because the 74 small rooms around the courtyard reminded them of nuns’ quarters in a Spanish convent.
Each of the four buildings has a unique and ornate façade and each is built on a different level. The northern building is the oldest and the grandest; here you can see many typical Puuc embellishments — Chac masks arranged one over another vertically, serpents and latticework.
The building to the east and closest to the Magician’s Pyramid is the best preserved, with a stack of Chac masks over the central doorway and serpents above the doorways to the left and right.
Regarded by many experts as the best example of Puuc architecture in existence, the Palace of the Governor stands on an artificially raised platform. It is thought be one of the last constructed building on the site around 987 AD. The structure has a typical plain lower section and a richly carved upper. Among the depictions are serpents, lattices and masks and a central seated figure with a long plumed headdress (it is known as the plume feather serpent).
Next to the Palace of the Governor and on the same raised platform stands the House of the Turtles, so named because of a frieze of turtles carved around the cornice. It was believed that turtles suffered with man at times of drought and also would pray to Chac for rain.
Its majestic constructions are decorated with delicate embossment, which are precisely and elegantly carved. These features astound both the scientific community and the tourists who visit Uxmal, because the Mayan builders had neither metal tools nor detectable means of transportation.
If you go
The Uxmal site is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a light show in the evening (in Spanish at 9 p.m. and English at 9 p.m. in the summertime and Spanish at 7 and English at 8 in the winter).
An early or late visit is recommended to avoid the midday heat. There’s an admission fee of $10 (subject to change) that includes the sound and light show. All the sites are free on Sundays.
The site has an auditorium, guided visits, handcrafts, photographic articles, bookstore, infirmary, toilets and restaurant. Uxmal is extremely clean and safe. The food in the restaurant is excellent.
How to get there
If traveling by car, there are two routes to Uxmal from Merida: Highway 261 or State Highway 18 (there is no gas available at Uxmal). Buses run from Merida to Uxmal but to see the sound and light show, you should sign up for a guided tour in Merida.
All information is accurate at the time of publication but prices, dates and other details are all subject to change. Confirm all information before making any travel arrangements.
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