Uxmal

Uxmal

If you see only one site on your visit here, make it Uxmal. It is a World Heritage Site with pyramids, a ball court, intricate carvings, fabulous architecture, and mysterious structures. It was the capital city of the region, covering an area of about 160 sq. kilometers (62 sq. miles,) then around 940 AD it was abruptly abandoned. Some have called it the most majestic of all the Maya cities. It is a busy site, but with a lot less tourists than Chichén Itzá, and spacious enough for you to explore without feeling crowded.

Plan on at least two hours. Some visitors spend three days. Guides speaking a number of languages are available; you can buy a guidebook at the bookstore in front of the site; or you can simply let the stones themselves tell you all you want to know.

The evening light show gets very mixed reviews. For some of our guests, it was a major highlight of their trip to the Yucatán, for others, the was the most disappointing. The story of the local legend can be hard to follow if you do not understand the regional Spanish, nonetheless the lights are impressive. Some of our more enterprising guests just put on their ear buds, watch the lights and rock to their own music from their smart phone. 

The site is open from 8 AM – 5 PM and the light show starts at 7 PM or 8 PM depending on the season.

Directions: Proceed west on Hwy 261. Travel time from Edznab is fifteen minutes.