Generally considered the masterpiece of Uxmal and one of the most perfectly proportioned buildings in the pre-Columbian Americas. The palace stands on a massive raised platform 12 metres high, its 98-metre facade covered from top to bottom in intricately carved stone mosaic — over 20,000 individual carved elements creating a continuous band of geometric patterns interrupted by full-face Chac masks.
A two-headed jaguar throne sits before the palace, aligned with the central doorway. The building has 24 rooms with corbelled arches and original stone benches. In the afternoon light the limestone facades glow golden; this is the prime time for photography.