When we think about Puuc architecture, the elaborate stone mosaics which the Maya used to decorate their building facades inevitably come to mind. However one of the main features of this architecture was the use of lime mortar, which made it possible to build wider vaulted buildings, as well as buildings with a number of rooms, some of these on two and even three levels. One of the best examples is the North Palace at Sayil, which entrances viewers with the beautiful lines of its facade, and whose columns beg comparison with structures built by ancient western civilizations.

Nevertheless, detailed observation of the buildings at this site allows us to deduce that the local handiwork in fact left much to be desired. We do not find here the delicate carvings evident in neighboring cities such as Uxmal, Kabah or even Xlapak. Also, the quality of the local stone hardly facilitated such refinement. The nearby hills were surrounded by deposits rich in iron oxide, which mixed naturally with the limestone, led to a rapid deterioration of the stone.

This was to a large extent compensated for by the planning of the city and by the design of the structures. The architects of Sayil sought to give their buildings a formal harmony. This is clearly visible on the second floor of the North Palace, an enormous building of 97 rooms which is seen as a single unit despite the fact that it was erected in different periods. The different periods of construction were hidden thanks to the main staircase, which becomes the focal point, emphasizing the symmetry achieved on the facade of the second level, through the use of repeated columned porticoes, simulated entrances, friezes of columns and descending masks of personalities, flanked by lizard-like animals.