Mexico 2005: Uxmal

Our first day trip out of Mérida was to the late Maya site of Uxmal. We were taken there by my cousin Umberto and his family, who you can see in some of these pictures.

From the Eyewitness Travel Guide for Mexico:
"The late-classic Maya Site of Uxmal "thrice built") is one of the most complex and harmonious expressions of Puuc architecture. The city's history is uncertain, but most of the buildings date from the 7th-10th centuries AD, when Uxmal dominated the region. The real function of many of the structures is unknown, and they retain the fanciful names given to them by the Spanish. Unlike most Yucatan sites, Uxmal has no cenotes, and water was collected in manmade cisterns (chultunes), one of which can he seen near the entrance. The scarcity of water may explain the number of depictions of the rain god Chac on the buildings."