Adventure into the Yucatan and Belize

We traveled back north today to see Uxmal after Kabal. Kabal is thought to be a satelite of Uxmal. When we got there, the weather was glorius but there were storm clouds threatening. This is apparent from the pictures taken - they go from sunny to cloudy to rainy. Unfortunately, some of the pictures are not clear due to the rain. WOW, the rain was lovely at times and there was some great thunder to along with it.

Here's a little bit of history of Uxmal.

Uxmal (OOSH-mahl) means "built three times" in the Mayan language. As a World Heritage site, it is one of the best restored and maintained ruins in the Yucatan. Its architecture, some of the most dramatic of the Yucatan ruins, is characterized by low horizontal palaces set around courtyards, decorated with rich sculptural elements and details.

Uxmal was the greatest metropolitan and religious center in the Puuc hills in the late classical period. It thrived between the 7th and 10th century A.D. and its numerous architectural styles reflect a number of building phases.

Recent studies have suggested that Uxmal was the capital of a regional state that developed in the Puuc region between 850 to 950 AD. Other evidence suggests that Uxmal collaborated politically and economically with Chichen Itza, the popular ruin located between Merida and Cancun

The most impressive structure and the tallest at 100 feet, is the House of the Magician which is just beyond the entrance. According to ancient legend, this pyramid was built by Itzamna in one night. It actually appears to have been built in five phases, and it was situated so that its western stairway faces the setting sun at summer solstice. We were not able to climb this pyramid, as of October 2009 tourists are no longer permitted to climb.

The Nunnery, another large building on the site, was named by the Spaniards as it reminded them of a European nunnery. It was probably used as a school for training healers, astrologers, shamans and priests.

The Governor's Palace is an excellent example of stone mosaic work probably created by hundreds of masons and sculptors. It occupies five acres and contains many beautiful sculptures of the rain god Chaac, serpents and astrological symbols. My pictures are rained out but its was quite impressive.

Other buildings at Uxmal include the House of Turtles, decorated with turtle sculptures associated at that time with rain, the Dovecote, a building with many separate chambers, the House of the Old Woman, and more. Uxmal also has a large ballcourt, enclosing a playing field that is 110 feet long and 32 feet wide.

g]

Kabah "strong hand" (also spelled Kabaah, Kabáh, Kahbah and Kaba)is a Puuc Maya site on Highway 261, about 90 miles southwest of Mérida in Yucatan State. Ruins extend for a considerable distance on both sides of the highway. Most of the more distant structures are little visited, and some are still overgrown with forest. An alternative name is Kabahaucan or "royal snake in the hand". Kabah is 12 miles south of Uxmal and is connected by a sacbe to that city. This sacbe is a grand example at 12 miles long, 16 feet wide, at places more than 20 feet thick, with a monumental arches at both ends. Kabah is the second largest ruin of the Puuc region after Uxmal. Kabah was first occupied prior to 200 BC. Most of the visible architecture was built between the 600 AD to 1000 AD. The "Palace of the Masks" and the monumental arch are the must see structures. A sculpted date on a doorjamb of one of the buildings gives the date 879, another inscribed date is one of the latest carved in the Maya Classic style, in 987. Kabah was abandoned or at least no new ceremonial architecture built for several centuries before the Spanish conquest of Yucatán.

The most famous structure at Kabah is the "Palace of the Masks", the façade decorated with hundreds of stone masks of the long-nosed rain god Chaac; it is also known as the Codz Poop, meaning "Rolled Matting". It is thought that the checkered pattern mosaic on the facade of this structure depicts the pattern of a woven mat.

Masks of the rain god "Chaac" appear on almost every structure at Kabah. Copal incense has been discovered in the noses of some of the Chaac sculptures. The emphasis placed on Chaac, the "Protector of the Harvest", both here and at other neighboring Puuc sites, stemmed from the scarcity of water in the region. There are no cenotes in this dryer, northern part of the Yucatan, so the Maya here had to depend solely on rain.

Kabah has numerous other structures that includes plazas, palaces, pyramid platform temples, a ballcourt. Most of these structure are of pure Puuc Maya architectural style. A few show Chenes elements. It is thought that Kabah may be a transition city for these two architectural styles. Originally this site had numerous carved architectural components; panels, lintels, and doorjambs. However, the majority of these carved components have been removed and placed in museums. The sculptures mostly depicted noblemen/rulers and scenes of warfare.

On Thursday, I will be going on an all day tour of two famous sights. I will be visiting the amazing Uxmal Pyramid, one of the greatest Mayan ceremonial centers with buildings that are beautifully carved and decorated. I also get a chance to see the Kabah Pyramid that boasts intricate stone carvings - I am sure it will be spectacular. I will load up pictures tomorrow. Ciao!!!

So here is a little history on the development of the city itself that I found so interesting. I always find the planning part so fascinating. Merida is a city characterized by its modest and simple architecture, but above all it is known for the construction material used that are indigenous to the region, that make it seem like a great white mass that results in more illumination of the sun, aspects that validate its name as "The White City". It is thought that this modest simplicity attributed to Merida, is also attributed to other factors, such as the influence of the Franciscans, that insisted on an urban structure of narrow streets as a remembrance of old Castillian and Andalucian towns in whose memory they were constructed. Many of the buildings have retained their original features, with vestiges of enriched styles, like barro (fired clay) neoclassical churrigueresque, as well as later additions of French and Italian style, brought to the area during the Bella Epoca of the late 19th century.

I did a walking tour of houses in Merida through the English Library. The tour was conducted by a guy originally from NYC who has relocated here. We visited three different homes in different completion stages. Each one was incredible and is owned by an expat. Go figure. Of course, I managed to get off without my camera so I do not have any pictures - YET. BUT as I was getting reaquainted with some Canadians from the previous evening that I met standing in the Customs line (see something good did come out of it), I met some new friends that were also from Canada. It was a group of women who were either related to each other, where friends with each or they had just met them on the beach. I had met them because I asked one of them, the youngest of the brunch with a serious camera set up, if she was on Facebook. She said she was. I then told her my camera debacle and asked her if she would friend me on FB to share her pictures. Well that started a whole new conversation. It was FABULOUS. After the tour I was walking in the same direction with these women and they invite me along for lunch with them (el almuerzo).

La comida es muy fantastico (the food was fantastic) and the conversation was amazing.

I want to share some about where I am staying. La Casa Lorenzo is one of the newest B&B in Mérida. The owner, Lorenzo, has re-constructed an original colonial building along with new plumbing and electrical systems. The B&B has the traditional high ceilings and original pasta floors found in colonial Mérida. La Casa Lorenzo is located in the St. Ana neighborhood, which is central to nearby art galleries, restaurants, museums, and historical Avenida Montejo.