The Governor's Palace

The Governor's Palace is surely one of the most impressive structures here (even if none of my photos adequately capture that) and likely one of the last major structures built in Uxmal. It is longer and a football field and has a height of three stories. The entire facade on all four sides is elaborately decorated. There are over 100 Chaac masks around the frieze and additional masks form a column on all of the corners of the building. It is estimated that it took more than 20,000 individually cut stones to make up the facade.

Over the central doorway is a frieze which once depicted a ruler in a plumed headdress. The face has been destroyed but the headdress remains. Note the Chaac masks above and the snake heads at the end of each parallel line.

There is an arrow-shaped false arch on either end of the building which seems to point at the sky.

The building also has astronomical significance. The central doorway aligns with the Jaguar Throne (below) to point towards the point on the horizon where the planet Venus rises at its southern solstice.

The Throne of the Two Headed Jaguar

In front of the central doorway of the Governor's Palace is the Jaguar Throne (another view here). The symbol of royal power, it has a prominent place in the courtyard of the Palace. The two-headed design is said to symbolize the dual nature of the ruler: divine/human; high priest/secular leader, etc.

The back side of the Governor's Palace as seen from the Great Pyramid.