Skip The Crowd – Visit Uxmal Instead of Chichén Itzá

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Mexico struck me to be anything I have ever imagined and I have done most of my favourite types of travel in this trip. From the beach, visiting a sleeper town, all the way to visiting ancient ruins, I experienced all of it in the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico. This area has amazing archeological sites of the Mayan Civilization. So for you history enthusiasts out there, Yucatán Peninsula will be your playground.

There are many throughout the peninsula and most are recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The most popular one out of all the Mayan cities is the one at Chichén Itzá because it made the UNESCO list all the way back in 1988. Locals and tourists alike visit this place to see how it’s like back in the Meso-American architecture and what it’s like to live back then. However, this city is only one of the cities out there so you don’t need to focus your trip in Mexico around it. There are many in the region that I believe you will particularly enjoy that is less crowded so you will definitely feel the culture more. One particular city that I highly recommend besides Chichén Itzá is the city of Uxmal and I have my reasons.

What is Mayan Civilization?

Mayan Civilization refers to the Meso-American period of the Maya people when they have built cities or around the Yucatán peninsula. Not only in Mexico, there are other Mayan cities in Guatamela and Belize and some parts Honduras and El Salvador. They were very smart people who studied the universe and elemental spirit and devised their own calendar system. The Mayan calendar that is equivalent to 52 years in the Georgian calendar system. They are brilliant astronomers, mathematicians, farmers, and artists who majorly contributed to early technology. Visiting even at least one, you can’t help but be in awe how ancient civilization was able to built all these ginormous buildings without any use of the technology that we are so used to in this day and age.

There are so many in the vicinity so I definitely recommend you visit at least one. Each Mayan city is unique and similar at the same time in terms of the type of buildings in the city. The most popular one is Chichén Itzá which gained its popularity when it made the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1988. It is the most visited place in Mexico peaking to over 2.6 million visitors yearly.

The city is magnificent and I don’t doubt you’d enjoy the place. However, if you’re like me who wants to skip the crowds then I recommend you to go to another Mayan city named Uxmal.

What is Uxmal?

Uxmal is another popular Mayan city in the Yucatan peninsula that you can enjoy if you’re looking to avoid the overflowing tourists that flock Chichén Itza. If you’re staying in Mérida and not in Cancun, Playa del Carmen, or any of the cities in the East, then Uxmal is where you should go. You won’t miss out on your UNESCO bucket list because this made the list in 1996.

How to Get to Uxmal?

Getting to Uxmal is doable using public transportation but less frequent. I recommend going on a tour that includes Uxmal. There are many tours that involves Uxmal. One of the very popular tour is the Uxmal Light and Sound show. My tour was with Mayan Heritage to visit three locations. They were Hacienda Yaxcopoil, Uxmal, and Cenote Peba.

What’s Wrong with Chichén Itza?

There’s nothing wrong with Chichén Itzá. I just feel like I had more freedom to explore Uxmal because you can walk on the buildings than in Chichén Itzá. Also, Chichén Itzá, on the other hand, is 1 and a half hour from Mérida going east via 180.

Chichén Itzá is great, I mean, I went there and it felt like I’m in the hunt for some excavation. Note it can really crowded from the tourists comings from the major places like Cancun, Playa del Carmen, and Mérida. It is part of the day tours those major tour companies offer. Ever since it has been included in the UNESCO list in 1988, it has gotten so crowded that you can’t get a decent photo unless you come really early right when it opens.

What’s the Difference?

Uxmal is a really great Mayan site if you want on par with Chichén Itza. Both are in the UNESCO World Heritage sites and I recommend going to at least one Mayan city while in Yucatan. I had time to visit both but if you want a less touristy Mayan city and deal with less tour buses then I highly recommend going to Uxmal. Public transportation is limited to Uxmal but there is plenty for Chichén Itzá. Which is why I did a tour for Uxmal instead of Chichén Itzá.

There are both Mayan city so the buildings and layout is the same. The difference I would say is how much preserved the places are. I noticed Uxmal’s buildings were less collapsed than Chichén Itzá. There are more colonnades in Chichén Itzá than Uxmal. Though, it looks like both rings in the ball game is in Chichén Itzá while it’s missing one in Uxmal.

The vibe of the two cities are different. You will feel more isolared and immersed with the Mayan culture in Uxmal. Chichén Itzá is more touristy because inside the city, there are so many shops situated on the pathways in between the landmarks. Unlike Uxmal, there were no shops inside the archeological site.

I really enjoyed Uxmal because it was less crowded. Most tourists go to Chichén Itzá because of its close proximity to the Riviera Maya crowd from Cancun and Playa del Carmen. The German in my tour has been to Chichén Itzá before going to Uxmal. He told me that the crowd there is not like this one. It was like three times as much!

How Amazing is Uxmal?

Uxmal is amazing!!! I really really enjoyed exploring the city even though it gave me knee pains from the very steep steps I climbed. You can climb every building except for the Pyramid of the Magician (Pyrdamide du Devin), the main step pyramid you’ll see when you enter. I love to travel and seeing historical landmarks but I really try to schedule to avoid the crowd. Uxmal is amazing because you can get good photos without anyone photobombing your social media photo like this one!!!

Plus, the entrance fee is cheaper than Chichén Itzá. For foreigners like me, Uxmal entrance fee is MXN $413.00 (~CAD $28.00) unlike MXN $481.00 (~CAD $33.00) for Chichén Itzá.

The view is absolutely spectacular from the top! Breathtakingly gorgeous to see the buildings surrounded by trees. I really feel like I’m on top of the world deep in the jungle. It’s so mind-boggling how they got these high structures right in the middle of the forrest. The wind is so good!

My tour spent a good 2 – 2.5 hours on the site. Our tour guide showed us around and explained everything for at least an hour or so and the remaining time were given to explore the grounds. I went up the La Casa de las Palomas, Casa de las Tortugas, and the Governor’s Palace. The tour guide also explained that some parts of the ruins were rebuilt and you can tell which parts. The white parts are part of the original part of the historical landmarks.

Honestly, I am not the most fit person to be climbing buildings, this one has very steep steps but I did it for the view. The steps were really steep but I conquered them. So rewarding to see the amazing view of the Mayan city from up above! I enjoyed this city very much and I think going around for about 2 to 2.5 hours is enough time. With the help of the tour guide, I was able to understand about Mayan civilization.

What’s Next?

If you’re on a tour, they tend to go to another Mayan site like Kabah or visit a cenote. There are many options that includes Uxmal like the tours here from Mayan Heritage. Like mine, my tour went to a cenote after Uxmal and a lunch. If you’re doing this without a tour then you can either go back to Mérida or go to another site like Chichén Itza. Here are my suggestions you can do while in Mérida.