Not only is Uxmal set in a hilly region (small hills but which nevertheless offer a relief of the very flat landscape of Yucatan), but its structures are very well preserved and very ornamented.
In this panoramic view, one can appreciate the atmosphere of the site. In the far, is the Temple fo the Sorcerer, dominating the valley. This temple is so imposing by the sheer size of its structure and by its smaller temple on top, symbolizing a gigantic mask of the rain god Chaac. It is 19 ft x 19 ft but stands out wonderfully against the almost smooth pyramide structure (115 ft high)!
The Birds' Quadrangle depicted in the above panoramic shot conveys the grandor of the Uxmal site.The Birds ' quadrangle was so named because birds, mainly macaws, were found to ornate its western side! While birds are alluded as malefic animals due to the damage inflicted to mais culture, the macaw, on the other hand, symbolizes the Sun God.
Below is the Governor's Palace, which is magnificently decorated.Its foundations were laid out in accordance with the apparent east-west movement of the sun!
Its ornementation comprises 103 masks of the rain god Chaac along the lenght of the frieze!
Also striking is the undulating body of a snake which continues all along the structure, interpersed with geometrical , mathematical and natural elements. Such ornementation was not sen in Tulum or Chichen Itza.
One of the features of Uxmal that we like so much is the "natural" setting in which the structures are set. For example, it was quite stunning to see the South Group also referred to as Dovecote (so named because of its crenellations) arising from the jungle...and being able to find your way to it!
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