The Nunnery Quadrangle in the Puuc style Maya ruins of Uxmal in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.


Uxmal is an archeological site in the state of Yucatan in Mexico, and a UNESCO World Heritage List site. Uxmal (OOSH-mahl) means "built three times" in the Mayan language. As a World Heritage site, it is one of the best restored and maintained ruins in the Yucatan. Its architecture, some of the most dramatic of the Yucatan ruins, is characterized by low horizontal palaces set around courtyards, decorated with rich sculptural elements and details. Uxmal was the greatest metropolitan and religious center in the Puuc hills in the late classical period. It thrived between the 7th and 10th century and its numerous architectural styles reflect a number of building phases. Recent studies have suggested that Uxmal was the capital of a regional state that developed in the Puuc region between 850 to 950 AD. Other evidence suggests that Uxmal collaborated politically and economically with Chichen Itza, the popular ruin located between Merida and Cancun.


Size: 5273px × 3516px
Location: Maya Archeological site of Uxmal, Yucatán State, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Photo credit: © Mostardi Photography / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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