The finest set of buildings at Uxmal: four long palaces arranged around a central courtyard, their upper facades covered in extraordinarily dense stone mosaic decoration. Each building on the four sides of the quadrangle has a different decorative scheme — serpents and thatched-hut motifs on the north, lattice patterns on the east and west, and Venus symbols on the south.
The quantity of Chac masks — the hooked-nose rain god — is astonishing. Thousands of stone fragments were cut and fitted together to create the mosaic panels, which originally were painted red, blue, and yellow. The central courtyard gives the best viewing angle; arrive before 10am to photograph without crowds.