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Our long weekend in Yucatan begins at Uxmal
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First we walked around the Great Pyramid
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Features of Puuc architecture
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Despite his limited English, Wilbur did his best to tell us about these later temples at Uxmal
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Can you find the owl, an important symbol in Puuc architecture?
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These arches reminded me of Mycenae's corbel arches
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Looking back through the ball court toward most of Uxmal
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Iguanas, iguanas -- but where are the others? There were five...
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Hacienda Ochil had almost nothing vegetarian so I had guacamole and mango sorbet
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At least it was a picturesque place
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I remember the guide saying henequen haciendas always had a smokestack... I wonder why
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Leaving Hacienda Ochil where we had a very slow lunch
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Detail of the monument on Paseo de Montejo, Merida
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You see architectural motifs referring to the sea because the people of Merida once believed they lived above the lost city of Atlantis -- or so said our guide
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Las Casas Gemelas, the twin houses, on Paseo de Montejo, Merida
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Part of the wall at Chichen Itza that Mayans built around the temple area and filled in so the temple stood above everything
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Now at the entrance to the Chichen Itza site
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There are 91 steps on each side plus one at the top, totaling 365 -- one of many features of this "calendar" temple
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The north and east facades have been restored, the south and west (visible here) haven't
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The staircase on the right with the snake heads at the base is where the solstice serpent is seen descending and ascending, indicating when to plant and when to harvest
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Evidence there are temples under Chichen Itza
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Freddy showing us how the heart was removed for a sacrifice
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Here where child sacrifices were prepared, we see the Toltec feathered serpent god Quetzacoatl and the Mayan feathered serpent god Kukulkan
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The nearby cenote where the bound child was pushed off wearing heavy jewel-covered clothes
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Precious stones have been found at the bottom of cenotes that were used for sacrifices
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Key Chichen Itza features all in one teeshirt
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Depicting the beheading of common criminals which is believed to have taken place in this area. The back wall depicts their skulls.
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Above the ball court
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And now departing the site, the guantlet of vendors
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Model of a Mayan home in the Izamal restaurant where we had lunch
