Ruins No. 2 · Tuesday, November 3, 2026

Where they stood

The day's five sites and where they are today.

Uxmal

1TodayYucatan, Mexico

2EraTerminal Classic Maya

3The Pyramid of the Magician has an unusual rounded, oval base.

4A raised stone road linked Uxmal to the city of Kabah, about 18 km away.

5Uxmal is a leading example of the Puuc style of Maya architecture.

1TodayLondon, United Kingdom

2EraRoman Empire

3The Romans founded it around 47 to 50 AD.

4An Iceni rebellion forced the Romans to abandon the town, which was razed in 60 or 61 AD.

5A Roman temple of Mithras was discovered here in 1954.

1TodaySalerno Province, Italy

2EraMagna Graecia

3Colonists from Sybaris founded it as Poseidonia around 600 BC.

4Its three Doric temples still stand.

5The painted Tomb of the Diver was found here in 1968.

1Todaynear Qalaat al-Madiq, Syria

2EraSeleucid Empire

3Seleucus I named the city after his Bactrian wife, Apama.

4Seleucus made it a military base with 500 elephants.

5Its Great Colonnade ran for nearly 2 kilometers along the main avenue.

1TodayCusco Region, Peru

2EraInca

3Visitors usually reach it by a hike of several days, with no road to the site.

4It sits high above the Apurimac River canyon.

5Terraces here hold images of llamas made in white stone.

Five new sites every day at midnight.