Mexico is a treasure trove of ancient ruins, offering you a glimpse into the rich history and cultural legacy of its early civilizations. The country is home to some of the most significant historical sites in the world, taking you into the worlds of the Aztecs, the Maya, the Zapotecs, and other civilizations that rose and fell over the centuries. Mexico archaeological sites are dotted all across the country, but there are a few places where you’ll find clusters of them if you want to visit several on one trip.
There are a few bucket list sites that get a huge percentage of the visitors, a middle tier of ruins that get some, then there are all the rest. I’ve been to some Mexican archaeological sites where my little group was the only group there. I once visited a spot where it was just my family and a guide, another time just me and a guide. Private tour!
As a resident of Mexico and a travel writer, I have a few still remaining that I’d like to see, but I’ve been to more than 20 at this point I think. I’m going to lay out the ones that I personally think are worth a visit if you’re in the area, but of course you don’t have to take my word for it. Go exploring whatever looks interesting. It’s easy to get to Mexico from the USA or Canada on a reasonably flight, so take advantage of it and do something besides sit on a beach or by a resort pool.
Exploring these ancient locations can be both exciting and enlightening, but before you embark on your journey, it’s essential to be prepared. These are often remote locations with plenty of walking hazards, so wear sensible shoes, bring plenty of water, have a sun hat and maybe sunscreen. Bug spray too for some of the jungle spots. Consider investing in SafeTrip travel insurance for Mexico to protect your adventures and be prepared if something goes wrong.
Tier One: The Biggest, Most Famous Archaeological Sites of Mexico
Chichen Itza: A UNESCO World Heritage Site
Chichen Itza, located in the Yucatan Peninsula, is the blockbuster, the Wonder of the World, the Maya site that gets more visitors than all the others added together. It is the most famous archaeological site in Mexico and the only way you’ll visit it without a big crowd is if you’re signed up with a luxury Yucatan tour company that can get you in after hours.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, this ancient city showcases the height of Maya civilization. The iconic step pyramid, El Castillo, stands at the center of the complex and was designed to align with the equinoxes perfectly.
During these times, the play of sunlight creates an illusion of a serpent slithering down the pyramid’s steps, a remarkable testament to the Maya’s understanding of astronomy. Visitors can explore various temples, a sacred cenote (sinkhole), and the Great Ball Court, where ancient games played a crucial role in Maya culture.
The worst way to see the various sites here is to arrive in the middle of a hot day on a tour bus, sweat while your guide drones on and vendors try to sell you things, then get back on the bus and return to Cancun. You can stay right next to the grounds here if you’re willing to splurge. Otherwise stay in Valladolid and get here when it opens, hours before those dozens of tour buses arrive. (Side note: that’s what we’re doing on my tour of the Yucatan Peninsula in January, 2025.)
Teotihuacan: The City of the Gods
Because it’s near the biggest city in the Americas, this site also gets huge crowds, but with a mix of more locals and domestic tourists than the one above. Located just 30 miles northeast of Mexico City, Teotihuacan is one of the largest and most influential archaeological sites in the country. This ancient Mesoamerican city flourished from the first to seventh centuries AD and is famous for its grand architecture, including the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. You can stroll along the Avenue of the Dead, marveling at the remnants of elaborate temples and residential compounds.
It’s a long walk from one end to the other, so set aside plenty of time and if you have a good guide with you, the whole history of the place will make more sense. The Aztecs weren’t actually the ones who built the oldest parts, for example. Their main city was where the historic center of Mexico City now sits.
Try to avoid the mistake I made one of the two times I visited: Sundays are free for locals so the place is packed. Try to arrive early to avoid crowds regardless, and be prepared for some climbing, as the view from the top of the Pyramid of the Sun is unbeatable.
Rocking the merch in 2009…
Palenque: The Jewel of Maya Architecture
Situated in the lush jungles of Chiapas, Palenque is known for its stunning Maya architecture and intricate carvings. Unlike the more popular Chichen Itza, Palenque is less crowded and offers a more intimate experience with history. The Temple of the Inscriptions, the site’s most famous structure, houses the tomb of the ruler Pakal the Great.
As you explore Palenque, keep an eye out for the vibrant wildlife that calls the jungle home, from howler monkeys to various bird species. The site’s picturesque backdrop of dense vegetation adds to its allure, making it a place where history and nature coalesce beautifully. If you have enough time in the area, explore Bonampak as well, a site famous for its surviving paintings that date back at least 1500 years.
You can get to Palenque on the new Maya Train now in operation, so you could ride that all the way from Chichen Itza, Valladolid, Merida, or even the Cancun Airport. That link goes to my story on it and there’s also a video embedded.
Tulum: We Visit Because It’s There
The ruins site of Tulum would be an afterthought if it weren’t for the location. Perched over the blue Caribbean, with a pretty pocket beach down below, this may be one of the most photographed spots in the state of Quintana Roo.
The Tulum ruins are not really notable in a historic sense and there’s not all that much to see, but since they’re located near a hundred hotels and resorts are are just off the main north-south highway, plenty of visitors just figure, “Why not?”
Tier Two: Important Sites With Smaller Crowds
Monte Alban in Oaxaca State
The site of Monte Alban is just outside of Oaxaca City, so it does get a steady stream of traffic, but seldom to the point where there’s a real crowd. This one is notable for its early medical treatment instructions carved in stone, as well as the huge effort it took to create: basically lopping off the top of a mountain to build temples on each side of a huge court where the commoners would watch the priests do their thing. In one cool trick, a holy man would disappear in a puff of smoke, go through a tunnel to a temple on the other side of the field, then reappear like it was magic!
Coba in Quintana Roo
If you’re staying at a resort in Cancun or the Riviera Maya and you want to visit some Mayan ruins, save Chichen Itza for another time and head to Coba instead. It won’t likely be completely empty, but you also won’t be sharing it with 7,000 other people and you can feel like a real explorer since it’s still surrounded by dense vegetation instead of a manicured lawn. You can easily book a tour to here from Viator.
Ek Balam in Yucatan State
Ek Balam is a short drive from Valladolid and gets a tiny fraction of the visitors of the more famous Chichen Itza, even though many of the buildings date back 12 centuries or more. I’ve been there twice and could count the other visitors on both hands except when a school bus of kids on a field trip pulled up once as we were leaving. That’s Ek Balam featured in the photo at the top of this post.
Uxmal in Yucatan State
I’ve been to Uxmal four times now, the first with my daughter when she was about 20 years younger than she is now. (See more in my award-winning PT story The Other Side of the Yucatan.) I love this shot I took then, but I have a hundred more I love from this fascinating site that’s a day trip from Merida.
You can book a tour easily from Merida or rent a car there and take your time. There are a string of other lesser ruins nearby if you want to knock out a few in one day.
Cañada de la Virgen in Guanajuato State
I live in the city of Guanajuato, just down the road from this site, in the Spanish Colonial heartland of Mexico. When the Cañada de la Virgen site was discovered near San Miguel de Allende, it altered the whole map of Mesoamerica and since then, other sites nearby have filled in some of the gaps. We will hit this place on my tour of Central Mexico if you want to join me in 2025. Click on the photo for details.
Guachimontones in Jalisco State
We have a full post about the strange circular “pyramids” of Guachimontones, west of Guadalajara and near the town of Tequila. Go check that out to read more about it. This is about as far west as you can get and still see a notable archaeological site, so take advantage of it if you’re in the area. You can even visit this on a day trip from Puerto Vallarta or the towns north of there, though that’s a lot of bus time even on the new and improved highway. It’s a lot easier from Guadalajara.
Tier Three: The Lonely Ruins That Aren’t Very Popular
I once wrote a story for CNN about Mexico archaeological sites that you could have to yourself, places where you’d be lucky to see one van full of tourists or a school bus, even in the middle of the day. There are a variety of reasons some sites are not very crowded, including how much has been written about them, but usually they’re off the radar because they take more effort to reach.
Mayapan in Yucatan State
Mayapan is actually not that hard to get to, just 30 miles outside of Merida. Hardly anyone has heard of it though, it seems, so even though the site is quite impressive, for now it doesn’t get many visitors. Go check it out before all the Instagrammers’ decide they need to pose in front of something there. Any hey, you can still climb to the top of the pyramid here in this photo:
El Tajin in Veracruz State
Say the work “Tajin” in Mexico and people will probably think you’re talking about the salt and spice mix you rim a cocktail glass with or sprinkle on your food. El Tajin is actually a UNESCO World Heritage site in the mountains of Veracruz. I haven’t actually been there yet, so I’ll let UNESCO describe its importance:
It became the most important center in north-east Mesoamerica after the fall of the Teotihuacan Empire. Its cultural influence extended all along the Gulf and penetrated into the Maya region and the high plateaux of central Mexico. Its architecture, which is unique in Mesoamerica, is characterized by elaborate carved reliefs on the columns and frieze. The ‘Pyramid of the Niches’, a masterpiece of ancient Mexican and American architecture, reveals the astronomical and symbolic significance of the buildings.
Edzna in Campeche
I haven’t been to this site yet, but my associate editor of the online magazine, Lydia Carey, visited it when she rode the Maya Train across Yucatan and Campeche states this year. In theory you can get to this site on the train, but when she arrived there was no shuttle or even a taxi so she ended up on the back of someone’s motorcycle. It’s 50 minutes outside the capital city with the same name as the state: Campeche. (They do that a lot in Mexico…)
Photo by Lydia Carey, associate editor.
Calukmal in Campeche
Lydia also visited this remote site, situated in what most would call “the middle of nowhere,” 22 miles from the Guatemala border. The closest “city” where you can spend the night currently is two hours away and it is a one-stoplight kind of place. Many say it’s worth the trek though to see a city that thrived between 250-900 AD and supposedly controlled an empire of a million people.
It wasn’t easy to get to at all for her, but that should change once the whole Maya Train project is complete, running through the middle of the peninsula. There will be a station nearby and some kind of transportation to the ruins—in theory at least.
Yaxchilan, Chiapas
Another one close to Guatemala that’s tough to get to, Yaxchilan is in a remote riverside area that gets very few visitors, three hours from Palenque. This was a popular trading center in the days of the Maya, a connection point for those traveling by foot to trade with those as far south as modern-day Belize and as far north as the Gulf of Mexico.
Whew! There are plenty more sites you could explore and quite a few I didn’t touch on that I’ve visited in several states, but it may take you a lifetime as it is to see what’s here, so happy hunting.
