Uxmal is the largest and the most striking Mayan City in the Puuc Hills of Yucatan Peninsula. It is estimated that 60% of the city is still hidden within/under the tropical jungle surrounding the Uxmal archeological site. The small portion of the site is a delight to visit. It was a unique experience. I felt as if I was walking through an Indiana Jones movie - old Mayan ruins, lush green forests and lot of enigma. Yucatan is probably the only region where the direct descends of Mayans are still residing and keeping their culture (or whatever left of it) alive. I could see the pain and anguish in the eyes of my Mayan guide when he was describing about all the plundering, killing and burning of Mayan books and artifacts by Spanish invaders. Spanish invaders did such a good job of destroying Mayan culture that today there are only 4 books left. Contrary to popular belief, Mayans were relatively peaceful group of people compared to their contemporaries. Human and child sacrifices was far less prevalent in Mayan culture compared to Toltecs, Aztecs and Teotihuacanos. During its peak, Uxmal was one of the most prosperous cities in the western Yucatan. Allied with Chichen Itza, the two cities comprised one of the most dominant forces in the entire northern Maya area.
There are several quadrangles in Uxmal. The biggest and most famous one is this Nunnery Quadrangle. It was never a nunnery but that’s how the crazy Spaniards named it. If you notice, the platforms on each side is on a different elevation level. According to some archeologists the different levels represented different classes of their society. The highest platform (from which this picture was shot) was believed to be restricted to kings and the nobles. The second highest platform was meant for priests. The third and fourth levels were meant for common people based on their social status. Does that remind you of anything? Yes, similar to the caste system practiced in ancient India. Surprising to see so many cultural, ceremonial, architectural (Cambodia has buildings with similar platform structure) and technological similarities between various ancient civilizations. Anthropologists attribute this to a process called Independent Parallel Development. Civilizations evolve similarly without ever have been in contact with each other if they are living in similar environments, and are given similar tools and knowledge.
Post #1 by uday029
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