Uxmal

About

According to Maya chronicles, Uxmal was founded around 500 AD by Hun Uitzil Chac Tutul Xiu, and ruled over by his descendants for generations. For a time, Uxmal was the most powerful city in western Yucatán, and dominated the Northern Maya area alongside its ally, Chichen Itza. Around the 12th century, the arrival of Toltec invaders and fall of Chichen Itza caused the city to fall into decline, though colonial records show it remained inhabited into the 16th century. Unlike many Mayan cities, Uxmal was not laid out geometrically - rather, its buildings are positioned according to astronomical phenomena. The buildings follow the Puuc architectural style, with smooth, curved stone bases and highly decorated upper levels, exemplified by the 35-meter-tall pyramid, topped with an ornately decorated temple. At the Governor’s Palace, a 320 foot long mosaic showcases the culture’s intricate artwork through a series of 103 stone masks of the rain god Chac.