Archaeological Sites

Izapa is an early Mesoamerican site near Tapachula in the Chiapas lowlands, close to the Guatemala border. It sits at the cultural crossroads between Olmec and Maya — the carvings here show elements of both traditions. Most travelers have never heard of it, which means you will probably have the site to yourself. The Carvings … Read more

Tulum is the postcard ruin — a Maya fortress perched on limestone cliffs above the turquoise Caribbean. It is not the biggest or most impressive ruin site in Mexico, but the setting is unbeatable. You can see the ruins, climb down to the beach below, and swim in water so clear it looks fake. The … Read more

Palenque is the ruin site that disappears into the jungle. Literally — only a fraction of the city has been excavated. Hundreds of structures remain buried under the canopy of the Chiapas jungle, covered in roots and vegetation. What has been uncovered is some of the finest Maya architecture anywhere: the Palace with its tower, … Read more

El Tajin sits in the humid lowlands of northern Veracruz, and most tourists headed to the coast drive right past it. Their loss. The Pyramid of the Niches — with 365 recesses cut into its faces, one for each day of the year — is one of the most distinctive structures in Mesoamerica. The site … Read more

Teotihuacan is the ruin site that puts everything in scale. The Pyramid of the Sun is the third-largest pyramid in the world. The Avenue of the Dead stretches two kilometers through the center of what was once a city of 100,000+ people. This was built before the Aztecs, before the Toltecs — by a civilization … Read more

Monte Alban sits on a flattened mountaintop above the Oaxaca valley and the views alone justify the trip. But the ruins themselves — the grand plaza, the ball court, the observatory, the carved Danzante stones — make it one of the most important archaeological sites in Mexico. The Zapotecs built this place around 500 BC … Read more