Uxmal: Mayan ruins on a grand scale in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula

Uxmal

For sheer size and grandeur the World Heritage Mayan ruins at Uxmal and the imposing Pyramid of the Magician are hard to beat. Four hours by road from the beach resorts of Playa del Carmen, Uxmal's relative isolation keeps it crowd free - unlike better known Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza and Tulum. Our road trip through the Yucatan Peninsula took us to Merida, to see the flamingos of Celestun and from Merida it was an easy one hour's drive south along the ruta puuc to Uxmal.

Uxmal was the most impressive pyramid we saw in Mexico. Rising up on a massive elliptical base The Pyramid of the Magician is reminiscent of a fortified European castle standing in silent defence of the city's long dead inhabitants.

Uxmal


Founded about A.D. 700 Uxmal (pronounced - ooshmahl) was a city-state of 25,000 inhabitants which dominated the region between A.D. 850 and 900. Some time after the 10th Century it was abandoned and by the time of the arrival of the Spanish, it was no more than a place of pilgrimage.  Unlike most Mayan city states in the Yucatan Peninsula, Uxmal had no nearby cenotes or other sources of water. It relied on rainwater collected in aguadas (natural holes in the ground) and chultunes (cisterns built into the ground). Unsurprisingly Chaac, the god of rain figures significantly in the carvings which adorn Uxmal's temples pyramids and other buildings.

Pyramid of the Magician, Uxmal
The Pyramid of the Magician


Pyramid of the Magician, staircase
The staircase on the Pyramid of the Magician rises at a 60 degree angle.


Temples, Pyramids and Legends


Uxmal's tallest and most distinctive structure, The Pyramid of the Magician dominates the site with its huge base and 38 metre (125 feet) height. According to local legend the pyramid was constructed in a single night by a dwarf who was given the task in order to avoid being executed. He completed the pyramid, his life was saved, and he became the ruler of Uxmal.

Whether you choose to believe the legend or not you have to admit that The Pyramid of the Magician is a catchy name. In fact Uxmal has cornered in the market on great names in this part of the Yucatan with buildings such as The House of Turtles, The Temple of Doves, The Quadrangle of Nuns, The Throne of the Jaguar and The Great Pyramid - although I am pretty sure that last one has been used before!

Note: Visitors are not permitted to climb the Pyramid of the Magician but there are plenty of other structures including The Great Pyramid to climb.

The Quadrangle of Nuns, Uxmal
The Quadrangle of Nuns
House of Turtles, Uxmal
The House of Turtles
Throne of the Jaguar, Uxmal
The Throne of the Jaguar

Getting to Uxmal and tours


Uxmal is 84 kms (52 miles) south of Merida on a good road (Route 261).  You don't need to take a tour to get there.  Uxmal is well signposted and easy to find. We drove ourselves in a rental car.  However if you prefer to take a tour click here for a great range of tours. (Note: if you book a tour by clicking on this link I will earn a small commission.)


My tips for visiting Uxmal

  • Wear a hat, carry water and apply sunscreen. There isn't much shade.
  • Take lunch with you. Apart from toilets there are no facilities.
  • If, like us, you aren't keen on crowds this is a great place - there aren't any. 
  • There is a sound and light show in the evenings. We didn't stay for the show so I can't tell you anything about it. You might want to check whether there is an English commentary.
  • Uxmal has a number of nearby hotels if you want to stay close to the ruins.

Where we stayed at Merida


We stayed in Merida at the Hilton Garden Inn. It is very new and easy to get to if you have a car. Its proximity to the ring road makes it ideal for excursions. However if you crave old town atmosphere and the ability to walk to restaurants in the evening then this is not the hotel for you.

My other blog posts on Mexico


Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. If you enjoyed this post or found it useful please consider sharing it on social media. I always appreciate the compliment.

If you have any questions either leave a comment or contact me by email or through social media.  I am happy to help out fellow travellers.

If you would like to follow our travels, check back occasionally ( I usually publish a new post once a fortnight) or enter your email address in the 'Never miss a post: Follow by email' box in the right hand sidebar just below my profile picture. I promise that there is an unsubscribe button if you get sick of us.



Save this for later. Pin it to Pinterest.






32 comments:

  1. Literally my jaw dropped. I had no idea. That is AMAZING

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great photos of the structures! I love those ruins, they are my favorites in Yucatan. The first time I saw them, I was still able to climb the Pyramid of the Magician - makes me feel old. It's still nice to go though, I enjoy the intricate designs on the Nunnery buildings, they are just amazing! Your photos captured them in the best light! Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not being able to climb them wasn't a big issue for us. I know a lot of people like to but just looking up from the ground was stunning enough.

      Delete
  3. Beautiful Lyn and so cool no need to worry about hoards of tourists overrunning the place. I appreciate tourist spots being popular but tough to enjoy the experience with all the racket.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are some places, especially in Europe, which are so crowded I wouldn't go back. Give me an undiscovered spot any day - Mexico's Yucatan Peninusla is full of them.

      Delete
  4. What an amazing looking place. Made sure to pin this to remind myself that I have visit here one day. Thanks so much for sharing and for taking such fantastic pictures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You have a photograph of Chichen Itza on your home page, I thought you were always two steps ahead of me when it came to Mayan ruins - lol!

      Delete
  5. Impressive ruins! I actually had not heard of them before. It's nice that they still let you climb some of the ruins. Thanks for sharing on #TheWeeklyPostcard

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There are so many ruins in the Yucatan Peninsula which fly under the radar. It is an amazing place.

      Delete
  6. Wow this one seems ten times more impressive than all the other ones I've ever read about! It's gargantuan! Would be fascinating to see! Thanks for linking up with #TheWeeklyPostcard!
    (www.caliglobetrotter.com)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My favourite Mayan ruin is still Coba (I wrote about it last week) but Uxmal comes in at a close second.

      Delete
  7. Oddly enough, we read about Uxmal on the way to Chichen Itza, and thought, "Now you tell us!" ;) Not that Chichen Itza was unbearably crowded, and we're glad we went. But we would love to have had more time for another day trip - and this is where we would have gone! As they say, there's always next time! Thanks for all of the details - very helpful! And thanks for sharing with us on #WeekendWanderlust.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If I had a dollar for every time I read about something when it was too late to change our plans ...! Like you I didn't find Chichen Itza too crowded. Sure there were tourists around but compared to the big sites in Europe it was deserted.

      Delete
  8. These ruins are spectacular especially that Pyramid of the Magician. I haven't heard of it and I guess it's a good thing that it's not as popular as Tulum and Chichen Itza just yet. We've only been to Tulum but this would definitely make the list the next time we're in the area. These look much more impressive than Tulum.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tulum is spectacular because of its position next to the sea but I found it hard to find a spot to recreate the angle you see it from in photos. Uxmal is amazing no matter which angle you look at it from.

      Delete
  9. Wow; what a find. I had never heard of Uxmal Mayan Ruins. It is so grand and beautiful. It's good to know too that there aren't any crowds. That's always a plus in my book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David and I hate crowds. That is the main reason why we stopped going to most of Europe years ago.

      Delete
  10. Wow, beautiful photos! I went to the Yucatan as a kid, but to be honest, I can't even remember exactly where we went! Would love to go back, such a fascinating history and culture.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I went there this year and I already want to go back!

      Delete
  11. The Pyramid of the Magician is indeed magical...60 degree angle! Merida seems to be a better base than Cancun to see all the history of the Yucatan! We went to Cancun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We aren't really beach people so we flew in and out of Cancun but didn't stay there. We stayed at Chichen Itza, Merida, Valladolid and a hideously over-priced 'luxury' boutique which I don't want to name. These destinations made for a great road trip to see Mayan ruins.

      Delete
  12. Wow, what an impressive sight! This is a part of the world I look forward to exploring one day... #TheWeeklyPostcard

    ReplyDelete
  13. We stayed right in Uxmal and were able to walk to the ruins as well as the Choco/Story Eco Park that were adjacent to the lodge we stayed in. I loved exploring this part of Mexico.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha - I had to laugh when you mentioned chocolate. Trust you to find a chocolate angle. I wish I had known about the Choco/Story Eco Park before we went. I definitely need to pay more attention to your blog.

      Delete
  14. I love this legend of the dwarf who built the pyramid only in one night to save his life. As a ruler of Uxmal I'm sure he was able to get even with his adversaries!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Uxmal looks like a great stop, and I like the idea of the drive through the region, including Mérida. It's a fascinating part of the world; I have half a mind to move there. Pinned.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you are thinking of driving through the Yucatan Peninsula keep an eye out for my round up post on our Yucatan Peninsula road trip. I will publish it in the next couple of weeks.

      Delete
  16. The Pyramid of the Magician is huge. I have never seen a Mayan structure this big. It also looks to be complete and in very good condition. The story about the dwarf building this in a night sounds very familiar to a story I just heard in American Samoa about a race of small people building a royal fishing pond overnight.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Pyramid of the Magician is seriously impressive - well worth visiting.

      Delete