How We Spent our Christmas Vacation

Uxmal 2

Uxmal is arguably the most impressive restored ruin in the northern Yucatan, its only serious rival is Chichen Itza. Both of these ruins are fantastic. The spacious layout of the building sites and open plaza type areas surrounding the structures, give Uxmal the feeling of grandeur it keeps one thousand years later. To have the opportunity to roam around this ceremonial center is a once in a lifetime experience, lucky those people who can do it more than once.

This view sights along the Palace of the Governor, looking toward the House of the Magician in the distance. Debra and Anthony are standing in front of this three hundred thirty foot long building. The cornice face above them consists of twenty thousand cut stones.

This wonderful shot shows Carolyn and Shelly in one of the two corbeled arches of the Palace of the Governor. These arches are the highest vaulted arches created by the Maya. They were closed off and filled in with cut stone during a later occupation of this site. My personal belief is the arches were failing (note the sagging upper walls, the stone is cut to fit the curve) and this was the easiest solution to save the building, using the infill wall for support. Unfortunately, this blocked the open portal from one side of the building to the other that these two huge vaults gave. The quality originally created by the open view between east and west must have made this building both inspiring and humbling.

This view of the two-headed jaguar throne with the Palace of the Governor behind gives a small impression of the majesty of the site. Shelly and Carolyn are barely visible walking behind the throne.

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Uxmal