Image Of The Day: Pyramid of the Magician, Uxmal, Yucatan, Mexico

AncientPages.com - The Pyramid of the Magician ("pyramid of the foreteller") is a Mesoamerican step-pyramid located in the ancient, Pre-Columbian city of Uxmal, Mexico.

Also referred to as the Pyramid of the Dwarf and the Pyramid of the Soothsayer, the structure is the tallest (100 feet) and most recognizable structure in Uxmal.

Located in the Puuc region of Mexico, Uxmal was one of the greatest metropolitan and religious centers in the Puuc hills of Yucatan during the late Classical period, flourishing between the 7th and 10th centuries.

Image credit:  Sybz  - CC BY-SA 3.0

At the ancient Maya site of Uxmal, there are several examples of Puuc architecture. These buildings were decorated with carefully cut veneer stones set into a concrete core.

The lower portion of the façades is blank with a flat surface of rectangular blocks punctuated by doorways, while the upper façade is richly decorated with intricate stone mosaics, often alternating repeated geometric elements with more elaborate figurative sculpture.

Many Puuc buildings are decorated with long-nosed masks, which are believed to depict the Maya rain god Chaac, the one who with his lightning ax,  strikes the clouds and produces thunder and rain. Chaac's counterpart is Tlaloc in the beliefs of the Aztecs..

According to ancient legends, a magician-god named Itzamna - one of the most important ancient Maya gods, considered the god of creation, the inventor of writing, and divination -  constructed the pyramid in one night.

From archaeological excavation, however, we know that the construction of the first pyramid temple began in the 6th century AD and the structure was expanded over the next 400 years.

After 1000 AD, the pyramid fell into disrepair and was thereafter looted during the Spanish Conquest of Yucatán. The legendary association of the Pyramid of the Magician may be understood as an indication that the structure was an important sacred part of the Uxmal complex, used as a ceremonial center and mystery school.

It's worth noting that the entire city is aligned with reference to the position of the planets then known, with Venus predominating, and that the Pyramid of the Magician is oriented so that its stairway on the west faces the setting sun at the time of summer solstice.

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