Uxmal

The Uxmal archaeological site is widely hailed as the finest expression of the Puuc architectural style. Practically on the Yucatan - Campeche border, the site is on the scale of Chichen Itzabut, for no good reason, much less well known. It was once far less accessible and more remote. Today, the site is roughly a 40-minute ride from the Calkini station on the Tren Maya, actually in Campeche. The site is also complemented by the giant Nuevo Parque Uxmal, a new national park, and one of the Tren Maya hotels known also as the Nuevo Uxmal.

The ancient city of Uxmal reached its peak between 600 and 1000 CE. It stood as an important center for political, economic and religious life, and the monumental architecture remains elegant, if not jaw-dropping. The degree of urban planning and social organization remains astounding even today. Smooth lower walls give way to complex decorative friezes above. The name, in the Yucatec Mayan language means simply three times built in reference to the stages of construction of the city.

The Pyramid of the Soothsayer, built on oval base, remains unique in the Maya world. The very shape and proportions are linked to astronomical events and the nearby Quadrangle of the Nuns is a ceremonial complex made from thousands of carved stones. The frieze on the Palace of the Governor contains more than 20,000 carved stones. All of this was supported by sophisticated systems of water collection and storage, more relevant to the present day than even in its own time.

Uxmal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is closer than ever.  On the Tren Maya, the trip from Mérida takes just about 90 minutes. From Palenque, the trip takes about 6.5 hours. There are tour groups arriving from Mérida regularly, and one could expect the buses, either with Autobuses Sur or with Wayak, to take only about one hour.