"Uxmal: Mayan Magic" a Ruinas Uxmal Travel Page by wilocrek

To say visiting Uxmal is a magical experience is more than just a metaphorical way of describing this Mayan site. After all the main reason many people visit is for the Temple of the Magicians, which looks as though Merlin himself waved his magic wand to create a building as unique and beautiful as this temple. When you enter the site, the Temple of the Magicians is the first structure to greet you and it sets the tone for the rest of the magical structures that make up Uxmal. Magical in their build and their design, and magical in the fact that they are as old as they are and still manage to awe at the craftmanship of the people of Uxmal. Maya chronicles say that Uxmal was founded about 500 by Hun Uitzil Chac Tutul Xiu. For generations Uxmal was ruled over by the Xiu family, was the most powerful site in western Yucatan, and for a while in alliance with Chichen Itza dominated all of the northern Maya area. Sometime after about 1200 no new major construction seems to have been made at Uxmal, possibly related to the fall of Uxmal's ally Chichen Itza and the shift of power in Yucatan to Mayapan. The Xiu moved their capital to Maní, and the population of Uxmal declined. Why anyone would ever want to leave the beauty of Uxmal is beyond my understanding...unless of course they were on a tight schedule like I was...but then again I plan on visiting Uxmal again. One visit was enough for me to get caught up in the magic of this wonderful site and the best part is it won't take magic to get me back....just money!