======Uxmal======

**Uxmal** was an ancient [[Maya]] city in the [[Yucatan]] area of [[Mexico]], and is one of the most important archaeological sites of the culture. It is located in the [[Puuc]] region of the eastern Yucatan Peninsula, and is considered one of the Maya cities most representative of the region's dominant architectural style. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of its significance.

Uxmal is located 62 km south of Merida, capital of Yucatan state in Mexico. Its buildings are noted for their size and decoration. Ancient roads called //sacbeob// connect the buildings, and also were built to other cities in the area such as [[Chichen Itza]] in modern-day Mexico, [[Caracol]] and [[Xunantunich]] in modern-day [[Belize]], and [[Tikal]] in modern-day [[Guatemala]].

Its buildings are typical of the Puuc style, with smooth low walls that open on ornate friezes based on representations of typical Maya huts. These are represented by columns (representing the reeds used for the walls of the huts) and trapezoidal shapes (representing the thatched roofs). Entwined snakes and, in many cases two-headed snakes are used for masks of the rain god, [[Chaak]]. 

The buildings take advantage of the terrain to gain height and acquire important mass, including the Pyramid of the Magician, with five levels, and the Governor's Palace, which covers an area of more than 1,200 m2 (12,917 sq ft).

=====Toponymy=====

The present name seems to derive from //Oxmal//, meaning "three times built." This seems to refer to the site's antiquity and the times it had to rebuild. The etymology is disputed; another possibility is //Uchmal// which means "what is to come, the future."

=====History=====

Maya chronicles say that Uxmal was founded about 500 A.D. by Hun Uitzil Chac Tutul Xiu. For generations Uxmal was ruled over by the Xiu family. It was the most powerful site in western Yucatan, and for a while, in alliance with Chichen Itza, dominated all of the northern Maya area. Sometime after about 1200, no new major construction seems to have been made at Uxmal, possibly related to the fall of Uxmal's ally Chichen Itza and the shift of power in Yucatan to [[Mayapan]]. The Xiu moved their capital to [[Mani]], and the population of Uxmal declined.

Uxmal was dominant from 875 to 900 CE. The site appears to have been the capital of a regional state in the Puuc region from 850-950 CE. The Maya dynasty expanded their dominion over their neighbors. This prominence did not last long, as the population dispersed around 1000 CE.

After the Spanish conquest of Yucatan (in which the Xiu allied with the Spanish), early colonial documents suggest that Uxmal was still an inhabited place of some importance into the 1550s. As the Spanish did not build a town here, Uxmal was soon after largely abandoned.

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