MegalithFringe site
Uxmal
Also known asÓoxmáal
Datedc. 700 CE
Photo Adrian Hernandez · CC BY-SA 4.0Source file on Wikimedia Commons
Overview
About this site
What the sources say
Uxmal (Yucatec Maya: Óoxmáal [óˑʃmáˑl]) is an ancient Maya city of the classical period located in present-day Mexico. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Maya culture, along with Palenque, Chichen Itza and Calakmul in Mexico, Caracol and Xunantunich in Belize, and Tikal in Guatemala. It is located in the Puuc region of the western Yucatán Peninsula, and is considered one of the Maya cities most representative of the region's dominant architectural style. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the nearby ruins of Kabah, Sayil and Labna.
Uxmal is located 62 km south of Mérida, capital of Yucatán state in Mexico. Its buildings are noted for their size and decoration. Ancient roads called sacbes connect the buildings, and also were built to other cities in the area such as Chichén Itzá in modern-day Mexico, Caracol and Xunantunich in modern-day Belize, and Tikal in modern-day Guatemala.
Its buildings are typical of the Puuc style, with smooth low walls that open on ornate friezes based on representations of typical Maya huts. These are represented by columns (representing the reeds used for the walls of the huts) and trapezoidal shapes (representing the thatched roofs). Entwined snakes and, in many cases two-headed snakes are used for masks of the rain god, Chaac; its big noses represent the rays of the storms. Feathered serpents with open fangs are shown leaving from the same human beings. Also seen in some cities are the influences of the Nahua peoples, who followed the cult of Quetzalcoatl and Tlaloc. These were integrated with the original elements of the Puuc tradition.
The buildings take advantage of the terrain to gain height and acquire important volumes, including the Pyramid of the Magician, with five levels, and the Governor's Palace, which covers an area of more than 1,200 m2 (12,917 sq ft).
Read on Wikipedia8 min readCC BY-SA 4.0
Where it sits in time
The site's dated range, placed against world reference points.
The scale is logarithmic: each step to the left is about ten times older than the last.
The full article
Uxmal: the whole story
In briefSources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): UxmalCC BY-SA 4.0
Sources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): UxmalCC BY-SA 4.0
Uxmal is an ancient Maya city of the classical period located in present-day Mexico. It is considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Maya culture, and is located in the Puuc region of the western Yucatán Peninsula, 62 km south of Mérida, capital of Yucatán state. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the nearby ruins of Kabah, Sayil and Labna. Its buildings are noted for their size and decoration, and ancient roads called sacbes connect them.
Its buildings are typical of the Puuc style, with smooth low walls that open on ornate friezes based on representations of typical Maya huts. Columns represent the reeds used for the walls of the huts, and trapezoidal shapes represent the thatched roofs. Entwined snakes, in many cases two-headed snakes, are used for masks of the rain god, Chaac, whose big noses represent the rays of the storms.
The present name seems to derive from Oxmal, meaning 'three times built', though the etymology is disputed and another possibility is Uchmal, 'what is to come, the future'. By tradition, this was supposed to be an invisible city, built in one night by the magic of the dwarf king.
The Governor's Palace is a long low building atop a huge platform, with the longest façades in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica; it covers an area of more than 1,200 m2 (12,917 sq ft). Its facade decoration contains almost 400 Venus glyphs placed in the masks of the rain god Chac, with eight bicephalic serpents above the main entrance. The Pyramid of the Magician, with five levels, is unusual among Maya structures in that its layers have oval or elliptical outlines instead of the more common rectilinear plan.
The pyramid is featured in one of the best-known tales of Yucatec Maya folklore, the dwarf of Uxmal, popularised by John Lloyd Stephens in his 1841 book. In his version, the pyramid was magically built overnight during a series of challenges issued to a dwarf by the ruler of Uxmal. The Nunnery Quadrangle was built from 900-1000 and was named in the 16th century because it resembled a convent. It consists of four palaces on different levels around a courtyard, and painted vault tops represent partial calendrical dates from 906 to 907 AD.
ToponymySources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): UxmalCC BY-SA 4.0
Sources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): UxmalCC BY-SA 4.0
The present name seems to derive from Oxmal, meaning "three times built." This seems to refer to the site's antiquity and the times it had to rebuild. The etymology is disputed; another possibility is Uchmal which means "what is to come, the future." By tradition, this was supposed to be an "invisible city," built in one night by the magic of the dwarf king.
DescriptionSources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): UxmalCC BY-SA 4.0
Sources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): UxmalCC BY-SA 4.0
Some of the more noteworthy buildings include:
The Governor's Palace, a long low building atop a huge platform, with the longest façades in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.
With an approximate azimuth of 118°, the building is oriented to the main pyramid of Cehtzuc, a small site located nearly 5 km to the southeast. Observing from there, Venus as evening star, when reaching its maximum northerly extremes, would have set behind the northern edge of the Governor's Palace. Since these events occur every eight years, always in late April or early May, heralding the onset of the rainy season, it is significant that the decoration of the building's facade contains almost 400 Venus glyphs placed in the masks of the rain god Chac, and that there are eight bicephalic serpents above the main entrance; additionally, numerals 8 in bar-and-dot notation appear on two Chac masks at the northern corners of the palace.
The Adivino (a.k.a. the Pyramid of the Magician or the Pyramid of the Dwarf), is a stepped pyramid structure, unusual among Maya structures in that its layers' outlines are oval or elliptical in shape, instead of the more common rectilinear plan. It was a common practice in Mesoamerica to build new temple pyramids atop older ones, but here a newer pyramid was built centered slightly to the east of the older pyramid, so that on the west side the temple atop the old pyramid is preserved, with the newer temple above it.
The structure is featured in one of the best-known tales of Yucatec Maya folklore, "el enano del Uxmal" (the dwarf of Uxmal), which is also the basis for the structure's common name. Multiple versions of this tale are recorded. It was popularised after one of these was recounted by John Lloyd Stephens in his influential 1841 book, Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatán. According to Stephens' version, the pyramid was magically built overnight during a series of challenges issued to a dwarf by the gobernador (ruler or king) of Uxmal. The dwarf's mother (a bruja, or witch) arranged the trial of strength and magic to compete against the king.
The Nunnery Quadrangle was built from 900-1000, and the name related with nuns was assigned in the 16th century because it resembled a convent. The quadrangle consists of four palaces placed on different levels that surround a courtyard. Of the different buildings that make up this palatial complex, several vault tops have been recovered, they are painted and represent partial calendrical dates from 906 to 907 AD, which is consistent with the Chan Chahk’ahk Nalajaw period of government. The formal entrance, the hierarchy of the structures through the different elevations, and the absence of domestic elements suggest that this space corresponds to a royal palace with administrative and non-residential functions, where the ruling group must have had meetings to collect the tribute, make decisions, and dictate sentences among other activities. These set of buildings are the finest of Uxmal's several fine quadrangles of long buildings. It has elaborately carved façades on both the inside and outside faces.
A large Ballcourt for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame. Its inscription says that it was dedicated in 901 by the ruler Chan Chak K'ak'nal Ajaw, also known as Lord Chac (before the decipherment of his corresponding name glyphs). The ball court's condition is very deteriorated, and it’s made of two constructions of medium dimensions that make up the sides of the court with the rings by which the ball was to be introduced. The originally carved stone rings were removed to protect them from the elements and were replaced by reproductions. This game has always been related to mythical and cosmic aspects. The ball symbolized the movements of the stars in the sky and the players, in repeated occasions, symbolically staged the fight of the day against the night or the struggle of the deities of the underworld against the gods of heaven.
Conservation and modern historySources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): UxmalCC BY-SA 4.0
Sources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): UxmalCC BY-SA 4.0
Sylvanus G. Morley made a map of the site in 1909 which included some previously overlooked buildings. The Mexican government's first project to protect some of the structures from risk of collapse or further decay came in 1927. In 1930 Frans Blom led a Tulane University expedition to the site. They made plaster casts of the façades of the "Nunnery Quadrangle"; using these casts, a replica of the Quadrangle was constructed and displayed at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois. The plaster replicas of the architecture were destroyed following the fair, but some of the plaster casts of Uxmal's monuments are still kept at Tulane's Middle American Research Institute. In 1936 a Mexican government repair and consolidation program was begun under José Erosa Peniche.
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom visited on 27 February 1975 for the inauguration of the site's sound & light show. When the presentation reached the point where the sound system played the Maya prayer to Chaac (the Maya rain deity), a sudden torrential downpour occurred.
Microbial degradationSources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): UxmalCC BY-SA 4.0
Sources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): UxmalCC BY-SA 4.0
Microbial biofilms have been found degrading stone buildings at Uxmal and Kabah. Phototrophs such as Xenococcus are found more often on interior walls. Stone degrading Gloeocapsa and Synechocystis were also present in large numbers.
Aureobasidium and Fusarium fungi species are present at Chichen Itza and Uxmal. Cyanobacteria were prevalent in the interiors of rooms with low light levels.
How this page was madeSources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): UxmalCC BY-SA 4.0
Sources for this section
- Wikipedia (English): UxmalCC BY-SA 4.0
The summary at the top of this page was written by Claude Sonnet 5.5 (2026-11-06) from the cited Wikipedia article “Uxmal”. The numbers in it were checked automatically against the source text. The rest of the page is the article itself, the structured records and computed distances.
Tradition and region
About this kind of monument
Mesoamerican stelae and carved stone
Mesoamerica's civilisations raised carved stone monuments. Maya stelae are tall sculpted stone shafts, often paired with low circular stones called altars, though their actual function is uncertain. Many stelae are carved in low relief, though plain ones are found throughout the Maya region. The sculpting of these monuments spread across the Maya area in the Classic Period (about 250 to 900 CE), and the pairing of sculpted stela and altar is a hallmark of Classic Maya civilisation. The earliest dated stela found in place in the Maya lowlands comes from Tikal in Guatemala, and during the Classic Period almost every Maya kingdom in the southern lowlands raised stelae in its ceremonial centre.
The Olmec colossal heads, much older, are stone representations of heads carved from large basalt boulders, from 1.17 to 3.4 metres high. They date from at least 900 BCE and are a distinctive feature of Olmec civilisation. All portray individuals with distinctive features of the people who still live in Tabasco and Veracruz, and the backs are often flat. The boulders came from the Sierra de los Tuxtlas mountains in Veracruz, and given the weight of the stone, which was moved over 150 kilometres, much labour was needed.
Many Maya stelae carry inscriptions in hieroglyphs with dates in the Long Count calendar, and so can be dated to the day. This makes them among the most precisely dated monuments in the Atlas. They commemorate rulers and events, not the dead in general.
The Atlas's records in Mexico, Guatemala and Belize are mostly Maya sites with stelae, altars and carved monuments.
When visiting, look at the carved figure on the front, which is usually a ruler, and at the glyphs on the sides and back. Many stelae are now protected by roofs.
Paraphrased from Wikipedia: Maya stelae, Wikipedia: Olmec colossal heads, Wikipedia: Stele · CC BY-SA 4.0
From the article
Dated moments in the story
- 901 CE
Its inscription says that it was dedicated in 901 by the ruler Chan Chak K'ak'nal Ajaw, also known as Lord Chac (before the decipherment of his corresponding name glyphs).
Source - 907 CE
Of the different buildings that make up this palatial complex, several vault tops have been recovered, they are painted and represent partial calendrical dates from 906 to 907 AD, which is consistent with the Chan Chahk’ahk Nalajaw period of government.
Source - 1841
It was popularised after one of these was recounted by John Lloyd Stephens in his influential 1841 book, Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatán.
Source - 1909
Morley made a map of the site in 1909 which included some previously overlooked buildings.
Source - 1927
The Mexican government's first project to protect some of the structures from risk of collapse or further decay came in 1927. In 1930 Frans Blom led a Tulane University expedition to the site.
Source - 1933
They made plaster casts of the façades of the "Nunnery Quadrangle"; using these casts, a replica of the Quadrangle was constructed and displayed at the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, Illinois.
Source - 1936
In 1936 a Mexican government repair and consolidation program was begun under José Erosa Peniche.
Source - 1975
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom visited on 27 February 1975 for the inauguration of the site's sound & light show.
Source
Photographs
8 photographs, each with its author and licence
More photographs
Lore
Evidence & Lore
What the sources actually support — and, kept apart, what has been claimed.
What the evidence supports
Dates
Est. 1200 BCE–900 CEHow this date was established: Type comparisonTypological estimate, not a date for this site: a other in Mesoamerica is normally dated between 1200 BCE and 900 CE (Atlas typological table).Source for this date
Measured facts
- Mainstream position
- Uxmal is a classical-period Maya city whose architecture represents the Puuc style and incorporates elements associated with the rain god Chaac.Source: Mainstream position
- Location from Mérida
- 62 km southSource: Location from Mérida
- Pyramid of the Magician
- five levelsSource: Pyramid of the Magician
- Governor's Palace area
- more than 1,200 m2Source: Governor's Palace area
- Architectural style
- PuucSource: Architectural style
- Site map
- made by Sylvanus G. Morley in 1909Source: Site map
- World Heritage grouping
- Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, and LabnaSource: World Heritage grouping
- Culture
- Maya civilizationSource: Culture
- Heritage designation
- Cultural property under special protection, part of UNESCO World Heritage SiteSource: Heritage designation
Alternative claims
Alternative claims about this site, kept in their own block and labelled with where they stand.
A sudden torrential downpour occurred when the sound system played the Maya prayer to Chaac during Queen Elizabeth II's visit.
Where it stands
Mexico
The pin marks the monument itself — its exact point.
- Coordinates
- 20°21′34″ N, 89°46′17″ WFor a GPS or map app: 20.35944, -89.77139
Access is as our sources describe it; we have not visited the site to check.
Nearby
The closest sites in the Atlas, by straight line.
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Sources
Every record behind this page, with the link it came from.
2 sources behind this page
- 01Wikidata Q213232wikidata.org
- 02Fringe claim sourceen.wikipedia.org
Image files
- Panoramica Uxmal.jpgAdrian HernandezCC BY-SA 4.0
- The Nunnery Quadrangle ... (49472215977).jpgBernard DUPONT from FRANCECC BY-SA 2.0
- Archaeological and Cultural Heritage of Uxmal, Mexico 59.jpgUlrich DusCC BY-SA 4.0
- Black Vulture sunning on top of the Pyramid of the Magician ... (49471623518).jpgBernard DUPONT from FRANCECC BY-SA 2.0
- Steep Pyramid Stairway (It's forbidden to climb now ...) (49471983006).jpgBernard DUPONT from FRANCECC BY-SA 2.0
- The Ball Court ... (49472054656).jpgBernard DUPONT from FRANCECC BY-SA 2.0
- Uxmal (10513827036).jpgGary Todd from Xinzheng, ChinaCC0
- Uxmal totale.jpgHJPDCC BY-SA 3.0
Report a correctionWrong date, name, photograph or source? Tell us and it will be put right.
Lore, kept apart
Legends and claims
These are stories and claims reported by the sources. They are not evidence, and they never stand in for the dating above.
- Tradition
The pyramid is featured in one of the best-known tales of Yucatec Maya folklore, the dwarf of Uxmal, popularised by John Lloyd Stephens in his 1841 book.
The pyramid is featured in one of the best-known tales of Yucatec Maya folklore, the dwarf of Uxmal, popularised by John Lloyd Stephens in his 1841 book. In his version, the pyramid was magically built overnight during a series of challenges issued to a dwarf by the ruler of Uxmal. The Nunnery Quadrangle was built from 900-1000 and was named in the 16th century because it resembled a convent. It consists of four palaces on different levels around a courtyard, and painted vault tops represent partial calendrical dates from 906 to 907 AD.
Source - Tradition
The Adivino (a.k.a.
The Adivino (a.k.a. the Pyramid of the Magician or the Pyramid of the Dwarf), is a stepped pyramid structure, unusual among Maya structures in that its layers' outlines are oval or elliptical in shape, instead of the more common rectilinear plan. It was a common practice in Mesoamerica to build new temple pyramids atop older ones, but here a newer pyramid was built centered slightly to the east of the older pyramid, so that on the west side the temple atop the old pyramid is preserved, with the newer temple above it. The structure is featured in one of the best-known tales of Yucatec Maya folklore, "el enano del Uxmal" (the dwarf of Uxmal), which is also the basis for the structure's common name. Multiple versions of this tale are recorded. It was popularised after one of these was recounted by John Lloyd Stephens in his influential 1841 book, Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatán. According to Stephens' version, the pyramid was magically built overnight during a series of challenges issued to a dwarf by the gobernador (ruler or king) of Uxmal. The dwarf's mother (a bruja, or witch) arranged the trial of strength and magic to compete against the king.
Source - Tested: not supported
A sudden torrential downpour occurred when the sound system played the Maya prayer to Chaac during Queen Elizabeth II's visit.
Source
Around this place
The ten nearest sites, by compass
Credit
Text, licence and sources
Text from the Wikipedia article "Uxmal" (English), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; authors are listed in the page history. Reused under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikipedia · Edit history and authors
- Wikipedia (English): UxmalCC BY-SA 4.0
- Wikidata Q213232CC0