The most iconic of the Mayan remains are the huge pyramids built at a number of sites. One of the most visited is at Chichen Itza - with over 2.4 million tourists each year. The  Pyramid of Kukulcan or 'El Castillo' is 30m high and towers over the Chichen Itza site. It was nothing like this when reconstruction started under Edward Herbert Thompson from around 1900. Most of the limestone facades and steps have been laboriously put back in place. The pyramid is said to reflect the mathematics and astronomy of the Mayans with alignment to the solstices and layers to represent the months of the Mayan calendar. Excavation has also revealed inner temples and tombs inside the main structure.

Further West we visit the magnificent site of Uxmal (pronounced ushmal) where there is another splendid pyramid - this time with more rounded corners (see header and below).  This 'magician's house' was built around 600AD although what you see today is a restoration of a later 1000AD pyramid. Even higher than the Chichen Itza temple its doorway is meant to represent a huge mask of the god Chaac. 

The Pyramid of Kulkulcán at Chichen Itza  

Pyramid of Adivino, Uxmal

There are splendid carvings and reliefs on many of the Mayan ruins but the easiest to recognise is that of Chaac, the god of rain and probably much else besides. At Uxmal there are some fine masks on the edge of buildings where you can clearly see the depiction with a long hooked nose and fanged mouth.  At the Palace of Masks at Kabah there is a whole wall made up of Chaac masks. 

Also common is the feathered serpent depiction of  Kukulkan which is brilliantly depicted on the West Temple facade of the Quadrangle of Nuns at Uxmal. The head and rattlesnake tail are visible on the right hand side while the body winds around six panels with other decorations including our old friend Chaac.   

Chaac masks at Uxmal, Palace of Masks at Kabah

Feathered serpent at Uxmal winds around the panels on the Quadrangle of Nuns

At Chichen Itza there are some fine reliefs on the side of temples. Jaguars and eagles (or the bird god?) are frequently depicted - in the relief below they are picking at human hearts! The platform of skulls nearby was used for human sacrifices and has impressive carvings of skulls all around the side. We also find carvings of warriors and ceremonial ball players.

Reliefs on the Platform of the Eagles and Jaguars , Carvings on the side of the Platform of Venus

Platform of the Skulls, Ball game players on the side of the Ball Court

As well as pyramids and carvings, there are some impressively restored palaces and temples at the sites that we visit. At Chichen Itza the Plaza of 1000 columns and adjacent Temple of the Warriors shows the influence of both Mayan and Toltec styles in the shape of the columns and impressive carvings.

At Uxmal the magnificent Palace of the Governor is built high on a platform and has a facade nearly 100m long. We found the Uxmal site much more atmospheric than the more popular Chichen Itza. Probably because we arrived early and missed the crowds but also because here there are no vendors selling tatty souvenirs within the site. Also interesting was the Grand Pyramid, behind the Palace of the Governor, which is similarly huge and only partly restored so that you can imagine what all the ruins would have looked like when they were first found.

Beyond Uxmal are a series of other sites known as the 'Ruta Puuc'. They are about 10km apart in the hilliest part of the Yucutan. It's hardly the Alps but the undulating road, with frequent lorries avoiding the expensive toll road, makes a change from the flat landscape elsewhere. At Kabah we find two palaces, the Spectacular palace of masks (see above) and another substantial building. Further along the route we reach Sayil with a huge, three tiered building 'El Palacio' almost as long as the Palace of the Governor at Uxmal.

Part of the Plaza of 1000 columns, Temple of the Warriors

Palace of the Governor at Uxmal, detail with Jaguar throne

Palace at Kabah, El Palacio at Sayil

A particularly fascinating feature of both Chichen Itza and Uxmal are the ceremonial ball game courts. The one at Chichen Itza is huge with long walls with a hoop in either side. This was a seven-a-side game where each team was not allowed to touch the ball with feet or hands but had to get the ball through the hoop using shoulders, head, stomachs etc. The locals have reproduced how they think the game was played and these are enacted for the tourists! Quite what the original purpose of the game was is still a mystery.

Later in Merida we visit the Museum of the Mayas where the history, archeology and culture is well explained. You can look up your horoscope on the extraodinary Mayan Calendar and there are many carvings from Yucatan sites depicting kings, gods and everyday life. The museum goes on to describe life for the Mayans under Spanish colonial rule. The Spanish did their best to erase the old customs but were not as successful as in other parts of the Americas.

Ball court at Chichen Itza, section of a ball court at Uxmal

King with foot on slave, Depiction of everyday life, Mayan God

Overall a very interesting education. The parallels to civilisations in other parts of the world are fascinating. The huge temples in Ankor, Cambodia, were build during the Later Mayan periods and the Byzantine empire was also a similar period. But with the huge width of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans none of these civilisations would have known that the others existed.

Palace of the Masks at Kabah