Archaeological site 40 km west of Maní
The finest Puuc-style Maya city, a World Heritage Site with the oval Pyramid of the Magician and carved stone façades.
Uxmal lies in the low Puuc hills west of Maní, and many people consider it the most beautiful Maya city in Yucatán. It flourished mainly in the 9th and 10th centuries and is the best example of the Puuc style: plain lower walls topped by friezes of carved stone mosaic, with rows of masks of the rain god Chaac, latticework and serpents. It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996.
The first thing you see is the Pyramid of the Magician, unusual for its rounded, oval base and steep sides; according to legend it was built in a single night by a dwarf with magical powers. Behind it is the Nunnery Quadrangle, four long buildings around a courtyard covered in carved detail, and to the south the Governor's Palace, often called one of the finest buildings of ancient America, on a huge terrace with a view over the forest. You can climb the Great Pyramid next to it for one of the best views of the site.
The region has little surface water, so the Maya here stored rainwater in underground cisterns called chultunes, and the constant presence of Chaac on the buildings shows how much depended on rain. Uxmal is the start of the Puuc Route, a chain of smaller sites to the south.
What to see and do
Walk around the oval base of the Pyramid of the Magician; climbing it is not allowed.
Study the carved friezes of the Nunnery Quadrangle and the Governor's Palace.
Climb the Great Pyramid for a view over the whole site and the Puuc hills.
Look for the masks of Chaac, the rain god, with their curling noses.
Stay for the evening light-and-sound show if it is running when you visit.
Getting there
From Maní, Uxmal is about an hour by car: west to Ticul, then on to Santa Elena and north on Highway 261 to the site. Buses between Mérida and the Puuc region stop at Uxmal, but from Maní a car is far easier. It is an INAH site open daily from 8 a.m.; come early, as there is little shade, and combine it with Kabah, a few minutes south.
40 km west of Maní
Directions from Maní on Google Maps
Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.
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Weather warm
Uxmal shares the climate of Maní, 40 km away. The best months to visit are Jan, Feb, Nov, Dec.
Make Maní your base
Uxmal is an easy trip from Maní, a Pueblo Mágico with places to stay, food, and more to see.
More around Maní
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Ticul
· Town · 15 km away
The "Pearl of the South": a busy Maya town of shoemakers and potters, and a base for Uxmal and the Puuc Route. -
Grutas de Loltún
· Cave · 16 km away
Yucatán's largest known cave system, with ancient Maya reliefs and handprints; closed since 2020, with a reopening set for October 2026. -
Tekit
· Town · 17 km away
Yucatán's guayabera capital, with hundreds of sewing workshops, and a large 16th-century church on the Convent Route. -
Santa Elena
· Town · 27 km away
A Puuc village near Uxmal with a hilltop 18th-century church and a small museum of mummies found beneath its floor. -
Mayapán
· Archaeological site · 28 km away
The last great Maya capital of Yucatán, with a round observatory and painted stucco; closed since early 2024 over a land dispute. -
Kabah
· Archaeological site · 31 km away
Uxmal's sister city on the Puuc Route, with a palace façade covered in hundreds of masks of the rain god Chaac. -
Labná
· Archaeological site · 31 km away
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Sayil
· Archaeological site · 36 km away
A Puuc Route city in the forest, known for its three-story Great Palace with columns and masks of Chaac. -
Hacienda Sotuta de Peón
· Landmark · 44 km away
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Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.