Uxmal is acclaimed to be the architectural masterpiece of Maya Civilization. The Great Pyramid, the palace of the Governors, the House of the Magical and the Nunnery Quadrangle are magnificent structures; and the extensive restoration work performed at this site gives visitors a spectacular experience of the scope and grandeur of this powerful city.

Uxmal achieved it greatest glory between 800 and 1000 AD, although is decline did not apparently come as consequence of the rise of CHICHEN ITZA to the east. The bulks of the structures we see today are multi-roomed, and are thought to be the homes of a large and powerful elite class.

Archeologists can only guess at how many thousands of peasants, living in the surrounding countryside, were commanded by these warrior-nobles. Exquisite carving, mosaics and other decorations typify many structures, which represent some of the finest of achievements of what is known as the Puuc architectural style.

Some very fine carved stelae have been discovered here, and the study of their inscriptions and those found on the buildings themselves has played an important role in the ongoing decoding of Mayan writing.

Most Mayan numbers, more than half of their alphabet, and many other important symbols, or glyphs, have now been deciphered by the experts, and the evidence from Uxmal has provided essential clues in solving this ancient mystery.

Paradoxically, not that much is known about the civilization here. Only one ruler, Lord Chac, has been specifically identified.

The people may have been less war-like than some of their cousins in other Mayan City-states, as there are few of the monuments and inscriptions celebrating victory in battle that are so prevalent at other sites. Being reasonably close to the coast, Uxmal probably engaged in considerable trade; agriculture and perhaps salt production were other key industries.

The large ball-court tells us that sports and recreation – at least for the upper classes – were also part of life in Uxmal.

The buildings are heroic in scope and majesty, yet are covered with gorgeous, finely detailed art. The entire site is imbued with a rare power, as if the spirits of the Mayan nobles remained on their land, whispering the epic secrets of their ancient world to the visitors of today.

No words or even pictures can do justice to the splendor that is Chichen Itza. Only when a visitor has the personal experience of staring down into the cenote of sacrifice, or into the eyes of the red jaguar, is the full force of the past truly felt.

Come indulge in the past, the glory of the Maya and Chichen Itza. The Mayan civilization is considered to be one the more complex and brilliant of its time. Dating as far back as 1500 B.C., The Maya flourished until about 900 A.D. in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula and parts of Guatemala, Belize, Honduras and El Salvador.

Because they made science, writing, mathematics, astronomy, and religion pillars of their lives, the details of this mysterious group continue to intrigue us. Many of their complex hieroglyphs are still un-deciphered, making it difficult to fully understand the few scriptures we have from their time. What has been concluded, however, is that Mayan people were fascinated with the sky, and most of their activities were based upon different cycles of the sun, planets, moon, and stars.

Their astrological observations were written down in several codices, which now provide us with a multitude of data related to the paths of celestial bodies. From the observations they made, the Mayan people were able to predict agricultural events, eclipses, and develop a calendar that was more accurate than the one we use today. Chichen Itza was the mayor city of the Post classic Maya.

It was a place for mystery and magic, and power so pervasive, those centuries after its decline it was considered holy. Monumental architecture marks the center of a city that in its day covered more than 25 sq kilometers. Settlers appeared in the area as early as 300 B.C., but not until 750 A.D. is there evidence of urban planning. By 900 A.D. and under the Maya, Chichén Itzá is a thriving metropolis of 50,000 inhabitants.

When the toltecs invaded Chichen Itza about 1000 A.D. they brought with them human sacrifice, and a military discipline not known to the Maya. They Maya-Toltec built the nortern-most structures of Chichen Itza, most notably the temple of Kukulkan and the temple of the warriors.

Chichén is a mix of styles, Toltec and Maya. The mayor structures within walking distance of each other and what you 'All be seeing is the city´s ceremonial center.

At Chichen Itza, the Mayan civilization reached its pinnacle. Art, astronomy, medicine, agriculture, architecture -- they all flourished here.

The Maya understood the concept of the space between zero and one. They used binary numbers that are used today in computing. Their calendar was more accurate than ours today, by not requiring a leap year to make up for adjustments.

They knew of penicillin 199 years before we rediscovered it. Also, their astronomical calculations allowed term to come up with a theoretical "True North", this enabling them to create effects such as that of the descending snake during the Equinox. The major structures include the Castillo, or Temple of Kukulcan; the Nunnery Complex; the Caracol, which was the center for astronomy; the Temple of the Warriors, with its magnificent colonnade of carved stelae; the ball-court and Temple of the Jaguar; and the marketplace.

Two cenotes, or natural wells, were the primary reason the city was situated at this location. One provided water for the people and the crops; the other was the sacrificial well, where animal and often human victims were tossed into the dark waters in rituals of purification, celebration and renewal. The Castillo is perhaps the best-known pyramid in the entire Mayan civilization.

Exquisitely proportioned, every aspect of its architecture had religious meaning as well as functional purpose. Less well-known is the fact that the Castillo as it is seen today sits atop an earlier structure; and that a steep, dark stairway inside the building takes visitors to a secret chamber, where the brilliant red Throne of the Jaguar scowls at those brave enough to intrude on this powerfully sacred site.

Everywhere at Chichen Itza one encounters strong, silent testimony to the power and achievements of this remarkable civilization. The reflecting basins at the Caracol, each sculpted with a god-figure, allowed Mayan astronomers to chart the positions and movements of the planets and stars.

The magnificent carvings on the walls of the ball-court tell the grisly yet enthralling story of the ritual version of the Mayan game of Pok-ta-Pok, and portray the losing captain being decapitated in the spring renewal ritual.

The Temple of the Warriors celebrates the battlefield exploits of this mighty race, and pays hall of fame-like homage to its greatest fighters. Everywhere the carvings portray the supreme jaguar and feathered serpent gods, the morning star Venus, and the enigmatic lord Kukulcan.

EK BALAM: A 40 minutes drive from our Hotels in Chichén Itzá, Ek Balam was at one time rich and very important. The city lost its power around 1,000 A.D., and remained inhabited long after.

The first excavations were carried out by Desire Charnay in 1886, but it was not until 1987 when most of the serious work began. A couple of buildings remain buried, waiting for their secrets to be revealed.

To the Maya this represents a portal to the "other World". The enormous mouth of the Witz Monster (entry to the underworld), complete with teeth, is awe-inspiring. The main temple here is impressive, both in size and architecture.

Its massive size of over 500 feet long and 200 feet wide easily makes it one of the largest structures ever excavated in the Yucatan. It is so big that one wonders how this could have been built without the aid of iron or the wheel.

Ek Balam's most striking temple is one with a huge "monster mouth". Evidence has been found at Ek Balam that bloodletting rituals were practiced here. This was self-inflicted by the priest and nobles.

Some suggest that one of the human figures depicted above the mouth is in the posture of a defeated enemy about to be sacrificed, so it may also be a site of human sacrifice but to what extent they are not sure yet.

SAYIL: A short day visit from our Uxmal Hotels, through small, Sayil is a beautiful and important Mayan site, with some fascinating architectural details and well-preserved hieroglyphics.

With ongoing research and reconstruction, this city continues to come back to life, and perhaps one day to tell us the story of its brief glory and abrupt decline. Among Mayan sites of the Yucatan, the ancient city of Sayil actually sits amid several steep hills.

From the steps of its Great Palace, one looks out at the ruins of several other significant structures, including a ball-court and several smaller palaces.

Altars and steal are plentiful, as are the ruined foundations of thousands of small dwelling structures. A series of causeways links the various building clusters, providing a relatively clear picture of the plan of the city.

As many as 10,000 people may have lived in the central area of Sayil during peak years, roughly 800 to 1,000 AD, with perhaps another 5,000 to 7,000 in the surrounding farming areas.

Sayil's downfall appears to have been rapid, quite possibly the result of invasion and destruction by the powerful warriors of CHICHEN ITZA.

LABNA: A short day visit from our Uxmal Hotels, LABNA was originally discovered and partially rebuilt in the 19th century, Labna has been somewhat neglected since then.

Located only about six miles from Sayil, on the Puuc Route, Labna's structures are similar in style and scope, suggesting a close relationship between the two cities.

The central palace area is entered into through a well-restored, Puuc-style archway that is considered one of the finer examples of this type of architecture.

It is likely that this city too fell before the onslaught of the mighty Itza.

Until more work is done here, however, the story of Labna remains largely hidden among the collapsed buildings and the encroaching underbrush.

The largest structure in Labna is a pyramid, which is topped by partially-collapsed temple that was most probably added at a later date.

15 miles south of the important city of UXMAL, and connected by a sacbe (Mayan road), sits Kabah. While almost certainly subordinate to its northern neighbor, Kabah was not a minor city it was an important location in its own right, and surprise today's visitors with its own special ambiance.

The main structure here is the Palace of the Masks, an imposing building used for religious rituals and other state ceremonies. The people of Kabah grew crops, participated in the great Mayan trade routes, and kept a wary eye to the north.

The relationship between smaller cities and larger ones could change dramatically with the ascension of the new ruler in either location. Its terrace extensive hieroglyphic texts behind an altar that may well have been used for human sacrifice.

The succession of a new ruler was a major event in the Mayan world, and one can imagine that spies from many nearby city-states were among the throngs gathered to watch the rituals and pageantry that marked the beginning of a new reign.

Carved panels, doorjambs and lintels make this a breathtaking example of the incredibly advanced and complex Mayan stone carving art.

A benevolent protector might be succeeded by a ruthless tyrant, eager to accrue greater glory by capturing slaves and increasing his dominance; a wiling subject-king might be succeeded by an ambitious rebel, eager to gain fame by freeing his city from the dominance of a powerful neighbor.

Staring out for eternity over the turquoise waters of the Mexican Caribbean, the temples of the walled city of Tulum present a unique aspect of the Mayan legacy.

Astronomy and celestial navigation, maritime trade, even weather forecasting was among the Maya achievements at this small but powerful city state.

Tulum rose to prominence around 1200 AD, in what is referred to as the Post-Classic Period in Mayan history, a little more than three hundred years before the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors.

Though none of its buildings is particularly large, they are among the most beautiful of Mayan structures, with their dramatic rise against the craggy Yucatan coastline.

The dominant pyramid is the Castillo, which is also noted for the extensive, colorful and detailed murals found inside the building.

Other buildings were used fir purposes ranging from religious rites (a practice continued well into the 20th century) to serving as an ancient from of lighthouse for the immense seagoing canoes the people of Tulum used in their trading, which was a key source of wealth for the city.

Indeed, the beach which served as this city's "port" is clearly evident as a break between the short cliffs that typify the coast at this point.

Tulum was inhabited until the conquistadors arrived. Like ports and trading centers throughout history, Tulum was one of the first places to encounter the invaders from across the sea –and one of the first to taste the bitter fruit of conquest.

Today, Tulum again stands proud, as one of the more popular Mayan sites for visitors. Its breathtaking backdrop and finely-wrought architecture give it a beauty unlike any other ancient Mayan city; as it always was, Tulum is truly unique.

Coba is one of the largest cities of the Mayans, Coba rise in the Late Classic period of Mayan History, in 600 AD, and eventually fell before might of CHICHEN ITZA sometime around 940 AD. At its height, the lords of Coba ruled over a huge territory, exacting tribute from small city states hundreds of kilometers away.

Several small nearby lakes made Coba a rarity among Mayan sites: city water abundant water. Given that other locations rose and fell with their water supplies, these lakes no doubt contributed to the prominence and longevity (it is among the longest-inhabited of all Mayan cities) the city achieved.

Because Coba is still in the fairly early stages of discovery and reconstruction, it offers visitors a fascinating look at the lengthy and complex process of restoring Mayan cities. The largest structures at Coba are the huge Late Classic temple called Nohoch Mul and a giant pyramid called the Castillo.

Both rise more than 75 feet above the surrounding forest. Many other structures are still being excavated and even discovered, emerging from the cloak of a thousand years of overgrowth.

Coba also benefits from the vastly increased scholarly knowledge of Mayan architecture –and Mayan life in general – as experts painstakingly piece together this mammoth site.

The gratuitous destruction and historical errors that have flawed other locations have not been visited upon Coba, leaving us to speculate that once this restoration is complete, the city may rival the greatest of all Mayan centers.

Among the great achievements of the people of Coba were towering pyramids, advanced agricultural practices (essential for feeding the 30,000 people estimated to have lived within the city itself), and the building of a system of roads that linked virtually the entire dominion together.

These roads, or Sacbe, were tremendous aids to commerce – and to the waging of war. Today's visitors have privilege of seeing the story as it first begins to unfold, an epic tale still in its early chapters.

CALAKMUL "City of Twin Pyramids". Calakmul is located in the state of Campeche, Mexico just north of the Petén region, and is somewhat difficult to reach. It is located north of El Mirador and south of Balamku, Calakmul is one of largest Maya cities from the late pre-Classic and Classic and may soon take its place in the ranks Tikal and Caracol as one of the most important Maya sites.

This site, in its golden age was an important regional capital, sprawls, over an area of approximately 42 square mile, where 6,700 structures of various types have been located.

The site is located in the vast Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, one of the last of the Yucatan rainforests. It is distinguished by its least 100 engraved stelae, which is the largest number found at any know site.

Most of the stelae depict luxuriantly attired personages, probably local rulers, standing on top of prisoners. They also have calendar glyphs that show dates between 500 and 850 A.D. Among these there are two acropolis, a ball court, and numerous temples and pyramids including one of the largest monuments in the entire Maya area.

Recent investigations there have led to the finding of a tomb with rich offerings. Archaeologists also have discovered the remains of high-ranking captives, providing further evidence of Calakmul's power and influence.

BECAN "The Road of the Serpent". Becan was an active city for a very long period of time. Dates as early as 600 B.C. and as late as 1450 A.D. have been identified.

The ruins are linked with Chicanna one mile away, and Xpuhil, four miles away, and are easily reached by car. The site covers some 63 acres, although the entire site boundaries are still undefined.

This archaeological site was built from carved limestone. Becan represented an important political and military control place, and is considered the Capital of the Rio Bec region. The core area of Becan is ringed by a moat and there are remains of a wall, in some places almost 11 feet high. The formation of the ditch and protective wall is very rare in the Maya civilization.

XPUHIL "Place of the Cattails". It is a small site near Becan, in Campeche and was named by members of the fourth Carnegie Expedition to Campeche, Who "discovered" the site in 1938.

The ruins typify a beautiful example of the Rio Bec style; however, show one major modification, a third tower. The Rio Bec style is known for the use of two towers wit thatched or non-permanent buildings on top. Here at Xpuhil they added a tower in the form of a pyramid.

Although the site's façade looks east, the best conserved part is at the rear. These towers were very solidly put together and served decorative purposes.

Their stairs are exceedingly narrow and steep, while on the upper simulated towers there are three stone masks, which are apparently portrayals of felines, decorating the staircases. The simulated towers display Itzamna, the creator god, as a celestial serpent.

Kohunlich ( X-laabch'e'en in Modern Maya) is a large archeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located on the Yucatan Peninsula about 25 km east of the Rio Bec region, and about does not actually derive from Maya but from the English Cohune Ridge.

The site covers about 21 acres, surrounded by dense sub-tropical rainforest, and it contains almost 200 mounds, that remain largely unexcavated.

The city was elaborately planned and engineered, with raised platforms and pyramids, citadels, courtyards and plazas surrounded with palace platforms, all laid out channel drainage into a system of cisterns and an enormous reservoir to collect rainwater.

The site was settled by 200 BC, but most of the structures were built in the Early Classic period from about 250 to 600 AD. Many of them are still covered with thick vegetation and overgrown by trees.

The city appears to have functioned as a regional center and stop along the trade routes through the southern Yucatan from Campeche and Rio Bec area to the west, and the cities along the east-coast and to the south, in the el Petén region of Guatemala and neighboring Belize.

The road approaches the site from the north and leads into an enormous central plaza ringed by pyramids and temple platforms. To the north there is a massive, raised acropolis, or citadel, with a palace complex around a courtyard to the north-west.

Further east there is the Pyramid of the Masks, built in honor of the god, with 6 gigantic stucco masks flanking its central staircase. And south of the main plaza lays the marvelous, Sunken Plaza Mervin, on the west side of the site, and a small ball court further to the east.