Maya Cities of Mexico: Uxmal

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When the sun sets over the jungles of the Yucatán, its fading light falls on the western staircase of the Pyramid of the Magician, just as it has for over a millennium. In pre-Hispanic times, during Maya religious festivals, a priest or ruler could ascend this staircase to pass through the gates into the sacred temple. Watching from the plaza below, commoners saw the leader emerging from this richly decorated doorway as a manifestation of the sun itself. Imagine you were born in the Classic Maya period around the year 900 on the Mexican Yucatán Peninsula. If you were lucky, you might have had the chance to travel to Uxmal. As you entered the city, you would be greeted by a lively, bustling city with a population of about twenty-five thousand people and many more thousands in the surrounding areas. Approaching the city center, giant stone structures would block out the sun as you drew near, towering even above the tallest trees, shattering the limits of what you thought possible. Intricately decorated buildings would convince you that the rulers and priests were truly anointed by the gods.

Jermaine