Puuc Architecture

Puuc is both a hill region of Mexico's Yucatan state, its name derived from the Maya word for hill, and the distinctive Maya architectural style associated with that region, which also extended into parts of Campeche and Quintana Roo. The style emerged at the end of the Late Classic period and reached its greatest extent during the Terminal Classic period, introducing construction methods that used carefully cut veneer stones set into a concrete core rather than the stacked-stone techniques of earlier Maya building. Puuc facades characteristically leave the lower wall plain, built from rectangular blocks around doorways, while the upper sections carry elaborate stone mosaics of geometric and sculptural elements, including long-nosed masks generally identified with the rain god Chaac; its corbelled vaults remain structurally sound even where the decorative veneer has deteriorated. The style is best known from the sites of Uxmal, Labna, Kabah, Sayil and Xlapak, and also appears at Chichen Itza and other centers across the region.