pamelonian

On the third day of the trip, we went to Uxmal. This site was one of the reasons I chose this trip. To go here you have to really want to see it, not like the kind of casual tourist who might make it out to see Chichén Itzá. I think the bus would take 6 hours from Cancún, but it was only an hour from Mérida where we were staying.

I should mention that I was struck by the dreaded Montezuma's Revenge when I was taking the van to this place. No horrible accidents occurred, but I was suffering. Nothing would stop me from seeing Uxmal, but I could have done better with the photos had I not been ill.

Here's the iconic Pyramid of the Dwarf, or Pyramid of the Magician, depending on who you ask. These are only names given by people who found it already abandoned, anyway. It was my first view of the city.

The architecture here is quite different from Chichén. Also older and without Toltec influence.

Here I am in front of the main plaza for the Pyramid of the Dwarf.

This area they called The Nunnery, an obviously Spanish name.

Detail of the stone work.

See the red hand print? This is where the priest blessed the arch, maybe 1500 years ago.

This was the arch in question.

There was a team working on restoring the ball court. You can see the hoop in the photo.

I was happy to be there and trying to make the best of my physical discomfort.

The House of the Turtles, named for the turtles along the top there. See how everything lines up? The Mayans were into that.

You can just make out me with my yellow hat standing halfway up the Great Pyramid. I missed a step and slipped about 4 steps down before regaining my balance. People have died climbing these pyramids!

The view was worth it. That is everything from the previous photos. I like how this site is surrounded by encroaching forest. It goes on for miles, and only a fraction of it is excavated.