city state · Mesoamerica and the Caribbean

Uxmal

700 CE – 1000 CE (approx.) · capital Uxmal

The leading city of the Puuc hills of Yucatán, celebrated for the refined mosaic architecture of the Nunnery Quadrangle and the Governor's Palace.

Origins

Uxmal grew in the hilly Puuc region of western Yucatán, where fertile soils supported farming despite the lack of surface water. Cisterns (chultunes) stored rainwater. The city became powerful in the 8th century and reached its height around 850-925.

Rule and society

Its buildings show Puuc style at its finest: smooth lower walls and upper façades of carved stone mosaic, with masks of the rain god Chaak, latticework and serpents. The Pyramid of the Magician, the Nunnery Quadrangle and the Governor's Palace dominate the site. A ruler known as Lord Chak, active around 900, appears to have built many of them. Causeways linked Uxmal with Kabah and Nohpat, suggesting a regional state.

Decline and legacy

Uxmal declined after about 1000, probably as Chichen Itza rose. The Xiu lineage, later rulers of Maní, claimed connections with it. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Uxmal. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/uxmal
MLA
“Uxmal.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/uxmal. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Uxmal.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/uxmal.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Uxmal’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/uxmal (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻