Tie-Dyed Dinos: Mayan Ruins

We traveled to Uxmal yesterday to visit some of the Mayan ruins. Uxmal means 'Thrice Built' in Maya, but archeologists think it has actually been rebuilt five times. The sheer size and lack of water, metal tools, wheels, or horses in this area attests to the engineering skills of the Maya. They built a series of cisterns called 'chultunes' to catch and hold water during the short, rainy season. Uxmal (pronounced oosh-MAHL) was first constructed around 500 AD and abandoned in the 10th century. Many of the carvings on the buildings show the rain god Chaac. We had a guide who spoke English, Spanish, and French fluently and shared a great deal of knowledge about the city of Merida and the Mayan ruins. A tour guide in the area for over forty years, he had to attend a special school to be licensed by the government as an official guide. The pictures we took cannot do justice to the beauty and size of this site. When rediscovered by Americans in the 1840s, the jungle completely covered it. They are still uncovering additional sites in the area. We then traveled a little further to the ruins at Kabah and finally enjoyed a traditional meal at a nearby restaurant where our guide talked to us about Mexico and politics! We started at 8:30 a.m. and returned to our casa at 5:30 p.m. Long day, but very rewarding.

Casa del Advinio (Magician's House)

An unusual pyramid as it has a distinctive elliptical base, rather than the square or rectangular base of most pyramids.

The site of Uxmal from the top of the governor's palace

Cuadrangulode las Monjas

The name means Nuns' Quadrangle. Even though nuns didn't live there, the Spanish gave it this name as it has buildings on all four sides much like their nunneries. Notice the taller one to the right: this is where the king would sit during ceremonies (or possibly sacrifices).