Although its name suggests otherwise, this is a serial nomination comprising the sites of Sayil, Kabah and Labna in addition to Uxmal itself. In the AB evaluation a fifth location is mentioned (Xpalak), but this one has mysteriously disappeared from the final nomination. There’s a WH inscription sign at the entrance of Uxmal which confirms this, as it says “Prehispanic cities of the Puuc: Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil and Labna”.

“Puuc” is the name of the hilly region just below Merida where these sites are located. And it’s the name of the architectural style named after it. I started my visit at Kabah, some 20 km from Uxmal. It’s a nice drive there on a small road that goes up and down and up again. My car was the fourth in the parking lot, which could not hold more than 5 cars or so. It’s a pleasure to be away from the crowds again!

Kabah isn’t a big site, I spent 45 minutes there. It is mostly known for its “Palace of the Masks”, which has a façade decorated with hundreds of stone masks of the long-nosed rain god Chaac. One has to look very closely to see it is Chaac – it looks more like a geometrical motif. This massive repetition of a single set of elements is said to be unique in Mayan architecture. It’s weird for sure, but I did not find it esthetically pleasing.

The site of Uxmal is much bigger but not as huge as Chichen Itza for example. Rain and the Rain God Chaac are a common theme here too: this part of Yucatan is very dry, and there are no cenotes. The locals had to rely on rainwater and built cisterns to save it. And they prayed to Chaac a lot I guess.

Right after the entrance, you stumble upon the perfectly shaped Pyramid of the Magician. This is the gate to the Nunnery Quadrangle, an enclosed area with a central plaza and buildings covering all four sides. To me, this is the best part of the site. It has long, palace-like buildings, richly decorated with stone mosaics and more depictions of rain gods. It did remind me in a way of the modern structures at the UNAM.

Explanations by way of information panels are much better here than at most archaeological sites in Mexico. I spent about 1.5 hours at Uxmal, looking for example at the ball court and a pretty vaulted arch that is its entrance gate. There are a lot of other bulky structures at the site, but just as in Kabah they didn't really work for me.