Uxmal Ruins

Mural at the governors palace
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In the morning we spent the day looking around the town. there is a nice cathedral and a pretty little church that were built on old Mayan ruins. The Mayans were made to tear down their own temples and rebuild Christian churches on top by the spaniards. They did manage to incorporate some Mayan symbols without the Spanish realising. There is also the govenors palace which is free to enter that has beautiful murals painted on the walls. They are huge and very interesting.

In the afternoon we visited the Mayan site of Uxmal. This site is pure Mayan unlike Chichen Itza which has other influences. We spent the afternoon exploring the ruins with a guide. The Mayans used the site as a ceremonial ground. They gave offerings to the rain god but did not perform human sacrifices here. The symbol of the snakes and the rain god can be seen on many of the buildings. The pyramid that is near the back of the site is the main one, it was not the tallest but it has the largest base. The Mayans abadnoned the site probably after a period of heavy drought.

Mural at the governors palace
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In the evening there is a light and sound show that is very good. Lights are projected onto the different buildings whilst you listen to commentary on your headset. It was very good.

These ruins were nice as they werent as touristy as Chichen Itza but the pyramid in the middle of chichen itza is definitely more spectacular.