a Review from the Top: Uxmal

We decided to go to Uxmal on our first full day in Merida:

It was about an hour and half drive, and started with a little confusion. We had arranged with a friend to get a driver and car. However, TWO drivers showed up in a little Volkswagen. We could not possibly fit five people in this car, so after much to-in and fro-ing, we got the younger driver (Tony. He was only 19) who received a lot of instruction about how to get to Uxmal. It didn't really give us great confidence, but we figured we would not get too lost. And we didn't. We we were able to get to Uxmal with only a few missed turns.

We also engaged a guide at the site. This was a wise decision, as none of us really know anything about Mayan ruins.

This is what greeted us as we walked through the main gate:

It is called the Temple of the Magician (or Shaman, or Priest, or ...)

It is huge, and notable as it is the only Mayan temple with round sides.

While looking at this, I thought of another Mount we have seen lately:

This is the Mount in the Hermann Park McGovern Centennial Garden.

Cool, eh?

Here we are in front of the big pyramid:

This pyramid had an interesting acoustic property. When you clapped your hands (from where we are standing above) you would hear an echo come back that had a distinct high pitched ringing tone to it. Much like a bird chirping. Amazing! The guide said that was due to the high iron content of the limestone. I can't vouch for that, but it does make a good story. And the stone ring when you tap them. Rumor has it this was designed into the pyramid to make it sound like a quetzal, a sacred bird to the Mayan. Could be.

The population inside the walls at Uxmal was about 25,000. The rich people lived in houses like this one:

Small. It apparently had a kitchen, which surprised me. I would have thought that the cooking was done communally.

Here is the bedroom, with me for scale:

You can see that is is commodius. But not too comfortable. Remember, archaeology is nothing more than a series of small walls.

and random stones with decorations.

There are plenty of stones like this lying around:

but not too many like this:

That is a rain god (Ca'ak) nose. The idea is that when the hook nose goes up, you are asking for rain. When it goes down, you are thanking the gods for the rain.

You can see a series of noses here looking down. (and rain clouds in the background)

Here is another structure that was on the way to "the nunnery" (named by the original Spanish invaders)

and decorations on the roof of this building:

hard to see in that photo, but they are birds.

Like this quetzal:

and this hummingbird:

Here is a closeup view of Cha'ac, looking at him straight on:

and a whole series of Cha'acs as decoration up the side of the pyramid (still the same one - the magician's. But this is the back side)

A nice view of the back side of the Magician's Pyramid. While the site wasn't very crowded (You may notice the lack of people) there were still folks waiting to get this shot. Everyone loves a frame!

MOre Cha'acs:

In one of the passage ways to the Nunnery, the plaster had fallen off the stones. This exposed several red hand prints on the wall:

I liked this snake-god. You can see its rattle, as well as its head. There is a human face inside the mouth of the snake, representing the birth of mankind.

You don't see much of this at Uxmal - but these are Maya hieroglyphics:

The facade of the building in The Nunnery:

The next three photos are taken inside the Nunnery.

Doreen

Dan and Doreen

Doreen and Gaye.

This is a slave (note the tied hands) about to be sacrified.

A two headed jaguar:

A double headed snake:

An owl:

As we walked by one of these palaces, we heard squeaking and notices a distinctly bat-like odor.

Indeed, bats!

The Nordhloms are bad influences. Here is Doreen "estaba subiendo los techos"

This is a ring for the ball field. The game was to push a 2.5 kilogram hard rubber ball through that hoop, not touching it with your hands, feet, or head. The games would last for days. But I think that is because when a team made a goal, the winner team's captain would have his head cut off.

I suppose that was the original "sudden death"