26 photos
The Quadrangle of the Nuns (left) and the Pyramid      
of the Magician rise from the dense jungle around      
Uxmal. This most important Maya city in Yucatan        
flourished from the 7th to the 10th century.
#120102 1

The Quadrangle of the Nuns (left) and the Pyramid of the Magician rise fro...

Pyramid of the Magician, Uxmal, among dense            
jungle vegetation. The priests who prayed in the       
upper temple observed stars and planets for their      
predictions and divinations (7th-10th CE).             
Height 28 m
#120102 2

Pyramid of the Magician, Uxmal, among dense jungle vegetation. The p...

The Pyramid of the Magician, Uxmal. The entrance       
to the upper temple is shaped like the mouth of the    
rain-god Chac. The priests who prayed in the upper     
temple observed stars and planets for their predictions
and divinations (7th-10th CE). Height 28 m.
#120102 3

The Pyramid of the Magician, Uxmal. The entrance to the upper temple is s...

The Pyramid of the Magician, Uxmal and the             
Governor's Palace. The palace is built on a large      
terrace 100 m long; its frieze is one of the richest   
in Mayan architecture (7th-10th CE).
#120102 4

The Pyramid of the Magician, Uxmal and the Governor's Palace. The p...

The Quadrangle of the Nuns, Uxmal. Four buildings,     
each with a distinct design, surround a wide courtyard.
The East Building, the Pyramid of the Soothsayer in    
the background. The name of the buildings is a Spanish 
misinterpretation of their use (7th-10th CE).
#120102 5

The Quadrangle of the Nuns, Uxmal. Four buildings, each with a distinct des...

Detail from the facade of the East Building,           
Quadrangle of the Nuns, Uxmal. A large, trapezoid      
motif crowned with the head of an owl, an animal       
associated with death in Maya lore (7th-10th CE).
#120102 6

Detail from the facade of the East Building, Quadrangle of the Nuns,...

Masks of the rain-god Chac with his trunk-like         
nose, symbolising lightning, form the cornice of the   
East Building. Quadrangle of the Nuns, Uxmal (7th-10th
#120102 7

Masks of the rain-god Chac with his trunk-like nose, symbolising lightn...

Trunk-like noses of the rain-god Chac form the         
cornice of the East Building, Quadrangle of the Nuns,  
Uxmal. Uxmal lies on a dry limestone plateau and the   
only water supply came from rain, collected in huge    
reservoirs, hence the importance of the rain-god.
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Trunk-like noses of the rain-god Chac form the cornice of the East Buil...

The North Building, Quadrangle of the Nuns, Uxmal.     
A wide staircase leads up to the terrace. The low      
building left was dedicated to the planet Venus. The   
main building consists of 26 small rooms, which the    
Spanish conquerors took for nuns' cells (7th-10th CE).
#120102 9

The North Building, Quadrangle of the Nuns, Uxmal. A wide staircase leads u...

The small temple at the foot of the North Building,    
Quadrangle of the Nuns, Uxmal, was dedicated to        
the planet Venus (7th-10th CE).
#12010210

The small temple at the foot of the North Building, Quadrangle of the Nuns,...

Facade of the North Building, Quadrangle of the Nuns,  
Uxmal. The frieze above the room entrances consists    
of frets, human figures, Mayan huts and the feathered  
serpent, Mayan symbol of the god Kukulcan (7th-10th CE)
#12010211

Facade of the North Building, Quadrangle of the Nuns, Uxmal. The frieze above...

The head of Kukulcan, god of the winds, protrudes from 
the fangs of the feathered serpent in the frieze of    
the North Building, Quadrangle of the Nuns, Uxmal. The 
feathered serpent is the symbol of the God Kukulcan    
in Mayan lore (7th-10th CE).
#12010212

The head of Kukulcan, god of the winds, protrudes from the fangs of the feather...