- Last week, I was in Merida, Mexico and was lucky enough to visit the ruins of Uxmal.
- That these buildings were built 1200 years ago is a great credit to Maya architecture and construction.
- If you have the chance to visit them in the future, I recommend doing so.
In this blog, I usually write about either a topic of public interest in Texas or a real estate legal issue that I think is important. I try to mix up those two types of topics to provide some variety. And increase my millions of readers.
This week’s entry is going to be completely different from either of those traditional categories. But I hope you will enjoy reading about it.
Last week I went to a wedding in Mexico. And while there, I had the great opportunity to visit some Maya ruins. And I can tell you, if you have never done so, you should. Its quite an experience to see. So that’s what I am writing about this week – the amazing construction of buildings by the Maya that I was fortunate to visit.
The Uxmal Ruins
The wedding was in Merida, Yucatan. If you are not familiar, Merida is the capital and largest city in Yucatan. It has a population of about 1.16 million people. It’s a nice city with very good food and a solid nightlife. It is inland, but not too far from the Gulf.
While there is much to do in and around Merida, perhaps the best part of the trip was our time spent at the Uxmal Ruins.* Other than the wedding, of course. Which was terrific.
Uxmal had Great Contractors
The buildings represent the height of Puuc architecture and are generally made of limestone with smooth wall surfaces. These ruins are still apparently studied by modern archaeologists to discover how the Maya people adapted to changing threats from enemies and the natural environment.
It is estimated that the Governor’s Palace, for example, took 33 years to build with 1200 workers.Â
As far as I know, its not quite known what happened to Uxmal, why it died out, and why there was nothing else built after about year 1000. Or, at least, its not agreed upon by historians. But that is about the time when the city stopped being a central hub in the Maya empire.
The bottom line is the ruins are just very cool. Its amazing to think that the Maya built them 1200-1300 years ago. And that they have withstood the test of time and continue to stand. Its difficult to imagine we have buildings now that will still be standing in 120 years, much less 1200. And to think they built them with rudimentary tools – well its just amazing.
So the next time you are in the Yucatan, I highly recommend checking out the Uxmal ruins. It will be worth your time. And maybe you can pick up some pointers for your next commercial real estate development.
* The Chichen itza ruins are also close to Merida and probably more famous. But we did not have time to visit those also.
** And I realize that the pyramids in Egypt are older. But I wasn’t in Egypt last week. I was in Mexico.
