History of Uxmal

Undoubtedly, Uxmal is the main settlement in the Puuc region, a city with great economic and political power that maintained power on the region until at least the year 950 AD, in the beginning of the Postclassic.
Uxmal dominated all sites located in the region. As evidence of this, there is an 18 miles long sacbe or “white road” that connects Uxmal with Kabah.
Uxmal is considered as a highly important Mayan city for its size and its architectural magnificence.
It came to have an area of 12 km2 and a population of about 20,000 inhabitants. The architectural Puuc style radiated from Uxmal to other sites in the region, although unique elements show that it was immersed in a larger commercial and cultural network than neighboring cities.

Occupation

The first occupation of Uxmal occurred around 300 BC (Preclassic). But its heyday was in the Late Classic period between 700 and 900 AD. Although the occupation and the influence of Uxmal declined years later, there is also evidence that shows activity in the Early Postclassic, during the years 950 to 1150 AD.

Most important buildings in Uxmal

The most important buildings of Uxmal are: the Pyramid of the Magician, the Quadrangle of the Birds, the Quadrangle of the Nuns, the Ball Game, the House of Turtles, the Governor's Palace, the House of Doves, the Great Pyramid, and the South temple.

Pyramid of the Magician
This is the tallest building in the site and the Puuc region, is 32 meters high.
The pyramid is also called "The Sorcerer" or "The Dwarf," which relates to a story called "The Legend of dwarf of Uxmal". This building has a symbolic meaning, since it represents the thirteen levels that the Maya believed existed in heaven.
It could only be accessed by the chief priests and nobles who performed rituals of sacrifice and self-sacrifice to make requests to their gods. The most important and most represented figure in Uxmal, is Chaac, god of rain, thunder and lightning.

Quadrangle of the Birds
It consists of four buildings that limit an enclosed patio. From the east side is the Pyramid of the Magician. The sides of the quadrangle that are oriented to the north, south and west correspond to palace type buildings. On the facade of the two rooms of the West Building that are geared towards the Pyramid of the Magician we can see sculptures of birds that give name to the whole.

Quadrangle of the Nuns
Located on the west side by the Quadrangle of the Birds, is the Nunnery Quadrangle, which includes four buildings of pure Puuc style. Each of the four buildings is different and the whole presents a harmony at different levels and in its horizontality. Decorative details and filigree work in stone are abundant in all of them.

Ball Game
The Ball Game at Uxmal has benches attached to the interior walls of the court, in which two rings of stone with hieroglyphic inscriptions are embedded.

House of Turtles
The House of Turtles is of great simplicity and beauty. Its name comes from the ornamental motifs of turtles found in the top trim of the structure. The frieze is decorated with false columns. Turtles that decorate this building are associated with the ritual of water and the creation of the world.

Great Pyramid
It is a truncated pyramid, with nine stepped sections. The access stairway is north and it has a huge platform on which the pyramid was built. At the back is a structure known as the Temple of the Macaws, as this bird is the ornament that decorates its facade in combination with fretwork and latticework. These elements are framed in boxes formed by intertwined serpents.

Governor's Palace
One of the most elegant and complex buildings of geometric Maya art is the magnificent Palace of the Governor. It has three platforms. Its frieze, made in stone mosaic, has lots of decorative elements. There are also notable Chaac masks and serpents, whose fertility attributes related to water and earth are complemented by other astronomical features and linked to the cycle of life in nature.

House of Doves
This group consists of a lower patio, a base where the building is located, a quadrangle and another base in which the South Temple is located with a triadic pattern.