Uxmal is an ancient Maya city of the classical period located in present-day
Mexico. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of
Maya culture.
It is located in the Puuc region of the eastern Yucatán Peninsula, and is
considered one of the Maya cities most representative of the region's dominant
architectural style.
Its buildings are typical of the Puuc style, with smooth low walls that open
on ornate friezes based on representations of typical Maya huts. These are
represented by columns (representing the reeds used for the walls of the huts)
and trapezoidal shapes (representing the thatched roofs).
Entwined snakes and, in many cases two-headed snakes are used for masks of the
rain god, Chaac; its big noses represent the rays of the storms. Feathered
serpents with open fangs are shown leaving from the same human beings.
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Entering Uxmal.
Even before the restoration work, Uxmal was in better condition than
many other Maya sites. Much was built with well-cut stones set into a
core of concrete not relying on plaster to hold the building together.
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The Maya architecture here is considered matched only by that of
Palenque in elegance and beauty.
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The Puuc style of Maya architecture predominates. Thanks to its good
state of preservation, it is one of the few Maya cities where the
casual visitor can get a good idea of how the entire ceremonial center
looked in ancient times.
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The Puuc Route.
The Puuc Route (Ruta Puuc) is an official name given to a 41 km
network of secondary roads through Yucatán state along which one can
tour Mexico's Mayan Puuc cultural heritage.
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The route is marked with signs. Important sites on the route include
Uxmal, Kabah, and Labna. Some travellers spend several days visiting
all the sites along this route.
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Puuc is the Mayan word for "hills", and the Puuc region of the Yucatan
is area of small rolling hills on a peninsula which is otherwise quite
flat.
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In Mayan archeology, the Puuc style is characterized by the elaborate
ornamentation of the facades of ceremonial buildings such as temples
and palaces, using limestone quarried in the region.
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Map of Uxmal.
On this map north is at the top and south is at the bottom.
- The entrance is on the east (right).
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Approaching the Pyramid of the Magician.
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The Pyramid of the Magician from east.
The Pyramid of the Magician dominates the center of the complex and is
located at the entrance to the central court.
- It is positioned on the eastern side of the city.
- Its western face overlooking the Nunnery Quadrangle.
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Is situated so that its western stairway faces the setting sun at the
summer solstice.
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The Pyramid of the Magician from northeast.
The exact height of the Pyramid of the Magician is in dispute and has
been reported as tall as 40 metres (131 feet) and as low as 27.6 metres
(90.5 feet).
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The accepted median height is 35 metres (115 feet), with the base
measuring approximately 69 by 49 metres (227 by 162 feet).
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Despite the absence of an exact measurement, the pyramid remains the
tallest structure at Uxmal.
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The Pyramid of the Magician from north.
The construction of the pyramid was completed in several phases, over
three centuries during the Terminal Classic Period.
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The Mayans followed the traditional practice of superimposition in the
construction of the pyramid, gradually increasing the dimensions by
building new structures on top of existing ones.
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The pyramid, as it stands today, is the result of five nested temples.
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See more at
Pyramid of the Magician - Wikipedia.
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The Pyramid of the Magician from northwest.
The name of the structure is derived from folk legends told by the
indigenous Mayan people. The age of these tales is unknown, as is the
Pre-Columbian name of the structure.
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The tale existed in varied accounts concerning the construction of the
Pyramid of the Magician.
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According to one account, a magician-god named Itzamna was
single-handedly supposed to have erected the pyramid in one night,
using his might and magic.
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Itzamna is, in Maya mythology, an upper god and creator deity thought
to reside in the sky. Itzamna is one of the most important gods in the
Classic and Postclassic Maya pantheon.
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In the pre-Spanish period, Itzamna was often depicted in books and in
ceramic scenes derived from them.
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See more at
Itzamna - Wikipedia.
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The Pyramid of the Magician and the House of the Birds.
The Pyramid of the Magician on the left and the House of the Birds on
the right, from northwest.
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The House of the Birds and the Nunnery Quadrangle.
The House of the Birds on the left and the Nunnery Quadrangle on the
right.
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Walking towards the Nunnery Quadrangle.
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Entering the Nunnery Quadrangle.
The name of this complex was assigned by the Spanish colonizers, who
thought that the rooms were the residence of Mayan priestesses.
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The complex rests on top of the artificial platform, on which four
buildings with different levels and with variations in shape and
design are planted. The ancient builders not only achieved a harmony
with the different levels and the horizontality of each building, but
also combined the scale of the buildings to the human scale, in which
a rhythm is noticed with the entrances and a rich message in the
decorative detail achieved by means of a stone filigree.
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The decoration of this complex is varied, but latticework, serpentine
motifs, masks of Chaac and Tláloc (water deities), jaguars, owls,
human figures and huts predominate.
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East building.
This building has been fully consolidated and restored.
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A 2.35 m (7.7 ft) high platform serves as its base, which is reached
by a staircase that covers the entire length of the terrace, which is
47 m (154 ft), the first steps of which are very wide. The building is
48 m (157 ft) long by 10.50 m (34.4 ft) high.
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Like the others, it consists of two bays divided into eight rooms
each, by means of partitions; the central rooms are larger than the
others, which means that the separation between the central door and
those on its sides is greater on the façade.
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South building.
This building forms the main façade and in it is the door that gives
access to the patio.
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It consists of two bays separated by a central wall and divided into
rooms by transversal partitions, in this case four on each side of the
central door, so that there are sixteen in total, plus two at each end
that were added later.
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West building.
The West Building is located on a similar platform and in front of the
South Building.
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It is 54 m (177 ft) long and the same height and width as the Oriente.
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Its distribution is also very similar, with seven double chambers, of
which the central one is a little larger.
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The façade rises above the plinth, decorated with columns. The lower
part is without decoration, with an incoming plan on both sides of the
doors.
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The frieze, between cornices of three elements, is like those of the
other buildings, vertical and with a complicated decoration
distributed according to the axes of the seven doors.
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North building.
This construction is the most important due to its dimensions and the
height at which it is placed.
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On a platform about 100 m (328 ft) long, 20 m (66 ft) wide and
approximately 7 m (23 ft) high, this terrace is accessed by a wide
staircase 30 m (98 ft) wide, and on it stands the building that is 81
m (266 ft) wide.
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It is also made up of two parallel bays divided into 11 rooms (22 in
total), each connected to the one in front, as there are only doors on
the façade that leads to the courtyard, while on the eastern and
western ends there are two other rooms in each one, with entrance
through the lateral facades.
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Leaving the Nunnery Quadrangle.
Leaving the Nunnery Quadrangle through the south building. In the
distance you can see the Ballcourt.
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The walkway through the south building.
The walkway through the south building, now seen from south to north.
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The Pyramid of the Magician from west.
When we leave the south building we can see, on our left, the Pyramid of
the Magician from the west.
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The Ballcourt.
This structure sat on a large space artificially leveled and covered
with stucco.
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It consists of two parallel buildings on which porticos were planted
that housed the elite spectators, which have a general north-south
orientation and delimit a patio 34 m (112 ft) long by 10 m (33 ft)
wide.
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The sloped sidewalks attached to the walls were decorated with the
bodies of feathered serpents.
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Towards the central part of the Ballcourt there are remains of rings
that have hieroglyphic inscriptions with the date 649.
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The integration of snakes in the walls and in the basement of the
building are motifs incorporated late, between 889-909. This tells us
that the building was used for 260 years.
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On the way to the Governor's Palace.
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The platform of the Governor's Palace.
Climbing the huge platform on which the Governor's Palace rests.
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The Governor's Palace.
The Governor’s Palace is without doubt one of the most important
buildings of the whole Mayan world, and it is considered by many as the
most extraordinary example of the pre-Hispanic architecture of the
Americas. It is a genuine wonder that perfectly merges religious and
political symbols.
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The facade is impressive because of its delicately worked stone, which
has been compared to filigree. On different planes, there are
lattices, masks of Chaac and representations of the governors.
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There is a sculpture of a governor seated on his throne in the main
entrance. He bears an exquisite headdress and is framed by two-headed
snakes, a symbol used to represent royal authority. It is probable
that this personage is none other than Chan Chak K’ak’nal Ajaw, also
known as Lord Chac, one of Uxmal’s most important kings. Significant
architectural developments including the Governor’s Palace and the
Nunnery Quadrangle are attributed to his reign in the tenth century
AD.
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The masks of Chaac are a recurrent motif in important Puuc buildings
and these are usually presented in cascades. In the Governor’s Palace
however, we also find other forms of presentation. In addition to
cascades of masks the representations of the rain god cover the whole
facade in a zigzag pattern which recalls the twisting movement of a
snake.
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Throughout the whole Palace we also find representations of the planet
Venus, which was the planet most closely studied by the Maya. This
planet governed the lives of the ancient Maya, since the priests could
tell from empirical observation when the rainy season would begin, or
how long the dry season would last. Nonetheless it is impressive that
the entire Palace is oriented to recording the movement of Venus and
the maximum declination of the sun at the solstices.
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All the elements which make up the Governor’s Palace are brought
together perfectly in a building which is an immaculate representation
of the Mayan system of government. On the one hand we have the
representations of Chaac, god of the rains and storms; on the other we
have the governor, the master of knowledge, since it was he who gave
the people the information they needed about the harvest. In the Puuc,
he who controlled the water, controlled the world.
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Source:
The Governor's Palace - Lugares INAH.
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The House of the Turtles.
The House of the Turtles is a small building 29 m (96 ft) long and 10 m
(33 ft) wide, composed of seven chambers.
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The House of the Turtles gets its name from the carved stone turtles
tenoned to the middle member of the cornice moulding.
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Turtles are associated with water and earth in Maya mythology. The
cosmic turtle upon which the earth rests above the primordial ocean is
a common theme in most native American creation stories.
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Turtle shells were also used as "thunder drums" which further links
them to storms and agricultural fertility.
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The Pyramid of the Magician from the House of the Turtles.
The Pyramid of the Magician (centre) is seen here from the southwest,
from the Turtle House (left).
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The Ballgame, the Nunnery Quadrangle and the Pyramid of the
Magician.
The Ballgame and the Nunnery Quadrangle to the left, and the Pyramid of
the Magician to the right are seen here from the south, from the Turtle
House.
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The Great Pyramid.
Southwest of the House of the Governor is the Great Pyramid, a massive
mound with an ornamented temple at its summit and fronting a sunken
courtyard.
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Leaving Uxmal.
Before leaving Uxmal we take a last look at the Pyramid of the Magician
from southeast.
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See also
Sources
Location
