Sayil

Sayil is about 5 km (3 mi.) from Kabah; take Mex. 261 to the junction with Mex. 184 (the road to Oxkutzcab), then e. about 4 km (2.5 mi.) to the ruins. The aptly named site, which means “place of ants,” contains several hundred known structures, almost all on the south side of the road. There is one standout: the Palace (El Palacio), a grand three-level building more than 200 feet long. The second level features rows of Grecian-style columns as well as a profusion of stone carvings. Most are of the rain god Chac, but there are additional depictions of an upside-down “diving god.”

Most of the other buildings are in ruins or obscured by jungle. South of the Palace is El Mirador, a small temple, and beyond it a primitive stele (carved stone). Also at this site are a number of man-made cisterns that were built to catch seasonal rainfall.