The Ancient Maya City Of Uxmal

During my trip around the world, I spent a week at a friend’s house in Merida, Mexico. That gave me the opportunity to visit some of the wonders of Yucatán. I was quite disappointed by Chichen Itza, which has become some kind of Maya Disneyland. It’s full of tourists taking selfies and of souvenirs stands. I was shocked. It was a totally different feeling in the ancient Maya city of Uxmal.

A Rough Start

I was so tired in the morning that I missed my two alarms, but I managed to get ready in 20 minutes so that my friend could take me to the bus station TAME to take the 9 am bus to Uxmal before she went to work. An hour and twenty minutes later, I was on site. I was lucky it didn’t take too long.

My time in Merida made me hate the colectivos, these small buses that don’t leave at a certain time, but rather when there are enough passengers inside. You better not be in a hurry, because it can take up to an hour… I found it quite difficult and tiring to organize my day-trips because of that, but I managed, and I tried to think of it as a kind of “In Rome, do as Romans” thing.

Weather: Be Prepared To Sweat!

During my time in Mexico, I mostly had a nice weather. It didn’t rain too much, except on the day we visited Chichen Itza. But the weather was really hot and humid. At first, I was very self-conscious because I was sweating so much! In reality, most people were, and I decided to see it as a way to eliminate toxins. Also, after my first day-trip, I always took a change of clothes, to wear in the bus or colectivo, on my way back. I didn’t way to bother the other people in the bus.

Visiting the Ancient Maya City Of Uxmal: Should You Hire A Tour Guide Or Not?

I really liked Uxmal! The site and the architecture are stunning. And again, the level of details made me go crazy with the photos: birds, gods, serpents… I was glad that I had bought a guide book to learn about what I was seeing.

I intended to pay a tour guide, but it was way too expensive for me: 37 euros (800 pesos). The book (70 pesos – 3 euros) was a good solution: it allowed me to take in all the beauty, to enjoy the exploration and to learn facts about the architecture, history and myths when I was curious.

I Felt Like An Explorer In The Ancient Maya City Of Uxmal

The Maya City Of Uxmal is more intimate and quiet than Chichen Itza, with less tourists and absolutely no shops inside. I don’t understand how you can allow tourist shops in such a protected area. Both Chichen Itza and Uxmal are part of the UNESCO’S Classified Sites.

It took me about 4 hours to visit everything, except two points that didn’t seem too important and that I could not find. There are so many “secret paths”, with literally no one there. I really felt like I had all the time in the world, and like I was randomly exploring the site, with no designated path to follow.

The site is really big, and it starts with a pyramid-like structure. It sets the tone. Yes, we have pyramids, yes, we have incredibly high and beautiful buildings, and yes, you are going to be amazed all the way. Everything is in a great shape, the site is well protected and preserved.

I went from one building to another. Some of them are ruins in the middle of the nature, some are enclose in decorated courtyards. You can climb or even visit the inside of some sites. Climbing all the stairs to the top of a pyramid is harder than it seems. Especially under the sun. But it’s so satisfying to see Uxmal from up there. The Maya city is incredibly beautiful and serene.

If You’re Not Too Tired…

… Right next to the Ancient Maya City of Uxmal, there is the Chocolate museum. I was quite pleased with the visit: cocoa ceremony show, hot cocoa tasting (wayyy too bitter for me), fauna and flora reserve, and a lot of information about the history of cocoa and chocolate, and about the production of chocolate.

To see more photos of Mexico, you can visit the gallery Mexico.