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Ancient Maya city
Photo: Hermann Luyken - User: (WT-shared) Hermann Luyken at wts wikivoyage http://www.familie-luyken.de/07Genealogie/13Gen/13064a.htm, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Uxmal is an archeological site in the state of Yucatan in Mexico, and a UNESCO World Heritage List site. It is one of the best restored and maintained ruins in the Yucatan. Its architecture, some of the most dramatic of the Yucatan ruins, is characterized by low horizontal palaces set around courtyards, decorated with rich sculptural elements and details.
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Pirámide Adivino
The most impressive structure and the tallest at 35 m, which you will find just beyond the entrance. According to ancient legend, this pyramid was built by Itzamna in one night. It appears to have been built in five phases, and it was situated so that its western stairway faces the setting sun at summer solstice. Tourists are no longer permitted to climb the pyramid.
Cuadrángulo de las Monjas
Another large building on the site, the Nunnery was so named by the Spaniards as it reminded them of a European nunnery. It was probably used as a school for training healers, astrologers, shamans and priests.
Palacio del Gobernador
An excellent example of stone mosaic work probably created by hundreds of masons and sculptors. It occupies five acres and contains many beautiful sculptures of the rain god Chaac, serpents and astrological symbols.
Learn about traditional Mayan methods for cultivating and processing chocolate, and of course, try some tasty samples to make sure that they're as sweet and delicious as you expected (they are). The facility also provides a refuge for rescued animals and you can feed the monkeys and deer.
Villas Uxmal Club Med
By bus
Since Covid, there are fewer buses than before. As of Feb. 2023, the company SUR is the only one operating with buses leaving Merida at 6 am, 9 am and noon (and probably 1 or 2 more in the afternoon).
By train
Two stops on the Tren Maya can be used to visit Uxmal: Merida-Teya or Maxcanu.
Walking is generally the only way to get around Uxmal. Unlike some larger sites, Uxmal does not offer bike rentals.
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Mérida · International · MID
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