Kabah and Uxmal

This is the Temple of the Masks at Kabah.

It is a Mayan archaeological site located in the Yucatan peninsula...

and is considered one of the greatest examples of Puuc-style architecture.


The god represented here is Chaac, the rain god, who was highly revered in this drought-prone part of the country.


This is the rear of the same building, decorated in a later style, possibly after the arrival of the Toltecs.

The Toltecs were known as a more militaristic society, something reflected in the warrior statuary that appears here.

Many of the people in the smaller rural villages still speak Mayan.

This is the Pyramid of the Magician at Uxmal...

It is unusual in that its base is oval in shape and not square or rectangular.

One of the buildings in the Nunnery Quadrangle (so named by Spaniards who were reminded of nunneries back home).

More representations of the god Chaac.

Representation of snakes, representing rebirth, are prevalent throughout Mayan culture.

This ball court, second in size only to Chichen Itza, was the site of sacred rites, where after a game, the captain of the winning team would be decapitated and offered up to the gods.

The Governor's Palace...

it features one of the longest facades to be discovered in Mexico.

Nearby is the Great Pyramid, one of the few you can still climb...

in order to get this view of the rest of the complex.

This is known as the Pigeon House, due to its resemblance to pigeon cotes.

Propelled by a combination of the possibility of two weeks at home, a sudden yearning to learn about Mayan culture and ridiculously cheap airfare/ hostels, last week I heeded the advice of Jimi Hendrix (and my brother) and headed down to Mexico way. I flew into Cancun (or as I prefer to call it, Epcot's Mexican pavilion) and immediately boarded a bus for Merida. I chose Merida, a charming colonial city, for its position as a good base to explore, it's being large enough to have plenty to do yet retain a small town feel and this being March, its ability to remain thankfully free of drunken college kids.

With the help of the fine folks at the Nomadas Hostel, I embarked on a series of day trips. I had asked around about Kabah and Uxmal, a pair of Mayan archaeological sites about an 1 1/2 hour's drive from Merida. This would prompt the first, but certainly not the last, time that someone would refer to a site as "even better than Chichen Itza". Chichen Itza, recently named a new world wonder, is a justifiable source of pride for the Yucatenos, yet that alone is not enough to prevent them from talking up other national treasures at its expense. Uxmal was a repeat recipient of this claim. People like the jungle-like setting better, or the fact that it was not roped off and you can still climb around the structures, or its comparatively small number of tourists, or maybe a combination of all three. Either way, it seemed like a good place for me to begin. We stopped first at the smaller Kabah, where our group of 7 were the only visitors present. It was here that our guide was able to point out how Mayan architecture had evolved over time, from grandly ornate, to more stately and sub-dued (or as our guide put it, from Classic to Post-Classic). After some explanations and free time for photos, we were led just down the road to Uxmal. I was excited, but also concerned about the dangers of over-hyping. Turned out, my concerns were unnecessary. Although I had not yet been to Chichen Itza and could not compare the two, Uxmal was a wonder in its own right. The amount of excavation and renovation that had taken place allows the visitor to really get a feel for this ancient city. With few people present, we were freely able to wander the grounds and admire the temples, administrative offices and ball field. As promised, we were able to climb atop the pyramids, while still being mindful of preserving them for future generations. It truly was a breath-taking sight (and I am not just referring to the many steep steps we were perpetually climbing up and down). Whether it was better or not, I had yet to see, but it certainly was a good start...