Yucatan - December 2007
Uxmal
The House of the Old Woman

After visiting the stone phalluses, we walked on to the House of the Old Woman.  The House of the Old Woman is pretty much a pile of rubble with a couple of rooms slightly visible through the trees.  Beside this temple is another temple with the initial steps intact.  I did not feel anything from these temples.  However, I experienced lot of frustration on account of all the mosquitoes taking my blood.  My advice is to learn how to photograph while running by these temples; otherwise, you will be donating plenty of blood to the mosquito spirits.


According to the INAH Plaque accompanying this temple, the House of the Old Woman is one of the oldest structures at Uxmal.  The name comes from the Mayans traditionally identifying this temple as the residence of the grandmother of the Dwarf of Uxmal (The Dwarf of Uxmal supposedly built the Pyramid of the Magician, also known as the Pyramid of the Dwarf).  The temple consists of several structures arranged around a patio.  the main building is 20 meters (about 65 feet) high.  Another partially collapsed building on 1 side is comprised of 2 chambers facing west.  The roofcomb is characteristic of the Early Puuc architectural style that the Mayans used between 670-770 A.D.

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The House of the Old Woman at Uxmal