Uxmal is an ancient town, located on the Yucatan peninsula. Maya found this town in 700 A.D. It is a great example of the Puuc architecture and a UNESCO world heritage site since 1996 (UNESCO, 2016). The one of the peculiar features of Uxmal is its layout. It is organized in relation to astronomical events rather than simple geometry.
According to Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, first written account of Uxmal was given by Padre Alonso Ponce in 1588 (Graham, 1992, vol. 4.2).
There is plenty of information available on internet, even though it is somewhat academic in nature. This ancient site would benefit from a dedicated website targeted at regular, unprepared audience. The ruins of Uxmal are very attractive for anybody who is interested in Mayan civilization. The old buildings possess a unique charm and a mystery flavor that can only be found in ancient places.
Uxmal has a lot to offer to any visitor, tourist or archaeologist. There are a lot of buildings that are in a very good conditions, such as the Magician’s Pyramid and the Governor’s Palace. All the structures are richly decorated with statues, hieroglyphs and frescos almost entirely dedicated to Chaac, the Mayan god of rain. It is a great place to feel the culture, completely different from our modern world; admire the construction genius of a nation that did not know any modern machinery, but yet managed to build structures like the Magician’s Pyramid, that is over 70 meters high.
Uxmal is a unique place that gives a visitor an insight into a lost civilization that was so dominant on the American Continent before the first Europeans discovered this part of the world.
Works Cited
Graham, Ian. Uxmal. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology vol. 4.2, 1992. Retrieved April 25, 2016 from: https://www.peabody.harvard.edu/cmhi/site.php?site=Uxmal#vol
UNESCO. Pre-Hispanic Town of Uxmal. UNESCO. World Heritage List, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2016 from: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/791
