Best Uxmal, Mexico Digital Travel
Pictures And Photos
The Temple Of The Magician

George And Audrey DeLange

Uxmal (Oosh-mall) 600-1000ad. Uxmal is a fantastic example of Classic Mayan architecture. It is thought by many experts to be the best example located in the Puuc Highland area of Yucatan. There is a wonderful legend about how Uxmal was founded by a dwarf who had many magical powers, thus one of the most dominant sights at Uxmal is the "Temple Of The Dwarf" or "Temple Of The Magician" as it is often called. Uxmal's main structures cover an area about one-half mile in length by about 600 yards in width. You will need about one day to make a casual visit to the site and of course if you wish to study the site in more detail you will need to allow much more time than a day. Uxmal will have a different appearance during the months of May and June when there are rains in the area. The brush during the dry season is brown and during the rainy seasons it is a beautiful green. During the time of Uxmal, the people used a slash and burn type of agriculture and maize and beans were the chief food in the diet of those living in Uxmal. Chaac was probably the main god of those in Uxmal since there is no natural water source, such as a cenote in the area of Uxmal. Instead, the people had to dig reservoirs into the limestone rock and depend upon water from the rains to provide water for the city. Uxmal was ruled by the Xiu family and during the conquest the Xiu family were nobles. At the bottom of this page are photographs of surviving members of the Xiu family. This page will feature "The Temple Of The Magician" which is also called "The Temple Of The Dwarf." Page Two will feature the Nunnery. Page Three will feature the rest of the area.