The Puuc Route is a trail of about 58 kilometers, where you will find undoubtedly imposing and interesting Mayan ruins, its history doesn’t prove otherwise. You can start it from the city of Merida, Yucatan. This, although it is not one of the most famous Mayan ruins tour as the Chichen Itza, the Tulum ruins or the Mayan train, are the ones that conserve great part of their construction as well as one of their artistic forms of art, the Puuc style, intact. In this article we bring you all the details you should know before visiting this intriguing archaeological zone.
Puuc Route
Along the towns of Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, X-Lapac and Labná, and the remote Loltún Caves are the most emblematic ruins of the Yucatán peninsula. A tour you should definitely take if that curiosity of witnessing in flesh and blood the magnificence of the structures created by this civilization is what moves you to visit them.
Its history, art, sculptures, buildings, temples and houses are quite intact despite the years. The details allow you to easily identify the different deities belonging to the Mayan culture, represented mostly by animals.
The stairs are also part of the Puuc buildings. An amazing and magnificent waterfall of stone steps making the buildings appear and the spectator feel small. The façade columns, the vaults and the truncated triangles also enhance their beauty and architecture.
Why the name Puuc?
Puuc, which comes from the Mayan language and means «mountain range» or «low mountain range» in its English translation, is one of the connotations that can be given to this tour since, each of these ruins is in fact located between hills of the Yucatan area.
Puuc is also used to describe this architectural style of the ruins along the route, being this one of the 5 styles of Mayan architecture.
Duration of the tour
The Puuc Route can take you from two hours, which is the time it takes to travel from one end of the route to the other, or even several days if you want to stop in some villages to tour much more than their ruins. The duration of your tour will be as long or as short as you choose.
What does the Puuc Route consist of?
It is qualified as a route because it is a complete journey, this one begins 5km to the south of Kabah, passing by the ruins of Sayil, Xlapak and Labná, which finally lead to the Loltún Caves. The sites offer some wonderful architectural details and a deeper understanding of the Puuc Maya civilization.
