Talking about the old city of Uxmal is talking about the second most visited city of pre-Hispanic origin in Yucatan. It is located about 80 kilometers south of Mérida, where this ancient location of the Mayan civilization is located, which once had 20,000 inhabitants.
It is considered the most important city on the Puuc Route , after the famous Chichén Itzá . Its name derives from ox , which means three, and it is a place shrouded in mystery, like other Mayan cities. These magical places make Mexico tourist destination and attract people from all over the world.
Characteristics of the city of Uxmal
This is a settlement that represents Puuc style architecture like no other Here the buildings with masks of the god of Rain, Chaac, as well as hieroglyphics and elaborate fretwork, are the protagonists.
It differs from most of the cities of pre-Hispanic origin in that it is not geometrically structured . What is certain is that the buildings are built according to the topography of the area. In addition, they are related to various astronomical phenomena, such as the rise and fall of Venus.
What to see in the city of Uxmal
In the city of Uxmal we can find some important buildings, for their meaning and also for their state of conservation.
There are four elongated buildings that have richly carved facades in relief and that surround a quadrangular courtyard. As a curiosity, it can be mentioned that the buildings are on different levels and that they were built between the 10th and 11th centuries.
But if there is something that makes this set special, it is its complex decoration with latticework, Tlaloc and Chac masks, as well as rich snake motifs, geometric elements and human figures.
House of the Fortune teller or the Dwarf
This is a 35 meter high pyramid that was started in the 6th century and took the order of four centuries to complete. It is located to the right of the Quadrangle of the Nuns.
It has a double facade , and in one of them there is a long staircase that allows access to a temple located at the top.
