Mexico: Uxmal (Merida zum 2nd)

Actually, the plan was to take a round on the Yucatan Peninsula, i.e. to travel from Campeche to Santa Elena and from there to visit the Maya ruins of Uxmal. Unfortunately, we then realized that it is not that easy or that there are no good bus connections from Campeche to Santa Elena. So we had no choice but to go back to Merida and take a tour from there to Uxmal. At least we were in Merida on the weekend for the second time by chance, and again there was a lot going on in the main plaza. There were various concerts and performances. So our tip: definitely visit Merida on the weekend!

This time we joined an organized tour, which is usually a bit more expensive, but you also have a guide right away. Fortunately, we also had a cool group. There were a mother and daughter from Australia, a family from Vancouver, a solo female traveler from Portland, Oregon (Americans are the only people worldwide who never answer the question "where are you from?" with the country, but always with the city and state. Have you ever noticed that?) and a young Mexican guy. They were all interested in culture and not so much in partying. There were many interesting conversations, especially the Mexican guy (for safety reasons, I refrain from mentioning any names) had a lot of interesting things to say about the Mexican mentality. For example, he told us that it is considered cool and part of the "machismo" to somehow cheat the system in Mexico. The coolest person is the one who gets the most without putting in much effort. For example, it is common to install devices in the household that distort the measurements of electricity and water consumption. He also had them in his rental apartment. He asked his landlord to remove them because he pays the bill directly and does not want to cheat. His landlord refused, saying that the next tenant might not want that. Tax fraud is also considered cool in Mexico. We know that the president, for example, bought his diploma thesis and people admire him for it. Well, as they say, the fish starts to stink from the head. And Mexico is a very corrupt country. If you get in trouble with the police, you just give the officer your wallet or, in the absence of that, your phone, and the problem is solved, as we were told. It is also no secret that regularly before elections, the nominated politicians who really want to make a difference in the country are found dead shortly before the election.

The tour included 2 ruins: Kabah and Uxmal. Kabah is a small site and accordingly, there were not many people there. It was really beautiful there, and thanks to the guide, you also got some additional information. However, it must be said that after the umpteenth ruin, you have heard all the Maya stories and then you mainly enjoy the atmosphere, visit the buildings, and take some nice photos.

Uxmal is one of the larger and more famous sites in Mexico. It is also a bit further away from the coast and the tourist hotspots, so the number of visitors was still within reasonable limits. The main pyramid of the complex is truly stunning. According to legend, a dwarf who challenged the then king to a competition for the crown built the pyramid in one night.

Uxmal is a very idyllic site that we liked much better than Chichen Itza in terms of the whole ambiance. Why Chichen Itza is one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World is becoming more and more mysterious to us. So we would advise anyone who is on vacation on the Riviera Maya to make the slightly longer trip to Uxmal (or even to Palenque), instead of traveling with the herd to Chichen Itza.