Uxmal

Uxmal

Uxmal , ancient city, northern Yucatán peninsula, Mexico. A Late Classic period Maya center situated in the Puuc hills, Uxmal flourished between 600 and 900. It is one of the finest expressions of Maya architecture known as the Puuc style. The site has such impressive structures as the unique Pyramid of the Magician; the Nunnery, with elaborately decorated facades of stone mosaic friezes; and the Governor's Palace (320 ft/98 m long, 40 ft/12.2 m wide, and 26 ft/8.9 m high), with some 20,000 carved stone elements in its facade. The site was abandoned shortly after 950 but was reoccupied briefly in the 15th cent. by the Xiu, a Mexican group who soon abandoned the site after wresting power from the Cocom Itzá at Mayapán.

Bibliography: See studies in the Handbook of Middle American Indians, ed. by R. Wauchope (13 vol., 1964-73); M. P. Weaver, The Aztecs, Maya, and Their Predecessors (1972).

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Uxmal

Uxmal, Yucatán/Mexico Mayan ruins. Occupied between c.600 and 900, the name means ‘Thrice Built’, although it was in fact rebuilt four times, or ‘Thrice Occupied’. However, it has also been suggested that it may mean ‘Place of Abundant Harvests’.

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JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Uxmal." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Uxmal." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Uxmal.html

JOHN EVERETT-HEATH. "Uxmal." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O209-Uxmal.html

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Free newspaper and magazine articles

Uxmal.(POETRY)(Poem)
Magazine article from: World Literature Today; 5/1/2005
Unraveling the mysteries of the Maya. (includes travel tips)
Magazine article from: Sunset; 11/1/1994
Pyramid selling; Sean Hignett takes a door-to-door tour of Mexico's...
Newspaper article from: The Evening Standard (London, England); 11/30/2001

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