Day 198: Merida – Mexico – Jan 1st

Our first event of 2013 was to visit the Mayan ruins of Uxmal.

So far, all the ruins we’ve seen were laid out by different peoples over different times, well, pre-Hispanic times before the Spanish came and made history as we know it. Just a quick recap, Teotihuacan = many peoples, Tenochitlan = Mexica, Monte Alban = Zapotecs, and so this would be our first view into Mayan architecture.

The site is extremely well furnished, and there are even several resorts located right next to the ruins. Very strange. The ruins itself is situated within a forest, and contains more ‘buildings’ similar to Monte Alban? The pyramids definitely look different though, and the main building is the Governor’s Building, which is rectangular in shape and with very distinctive ‘Mayan’ facades. It’s hard to pinpoint the differences without technical architectural knowledge, but the whole place definitely “feels” different! The layout, the carvings, the columns and the jungle-like setting all add to the allure of this spectacular site. Well worth a visit!

We returned to Merida, and we really wanted some variety in our dining options but unfortunately there isn’t much to choose from in this town. In the end, we had dinner at a Chinese buffet, which as you can imagine, had pretty poor tastes but was rather cheap. The owner was nice and chatted with us a bit, even providing us with free ‘juice’, or what was most likely just Mexican Kool-aid. After dinner, we realized that the mosquitoes in there also went on a feast of their own, as Alan was bitten well over 10 times, leaving his leg dotted with red bumps. Gross!