MEXICAN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

Mexico Connect Forum Discussion Threads

Posted by Zach Thompson on July 16, 1999

Hola a todos!

Haven't ever been anywhere else when visiting the Mexican Republic except the Riviera, I know nothing about the wonderful ruins in the east. I hope to learn though and see them soon. I'm wondering though, which are the greatest to visit? I heard a while back that there was a huge one (Pyramid of the Sun?) sort of near Mexico City. Size fascinates me. So those are Aztecs and the ones in Yucatan and Quintana Roo are Mayan? How come the Indians on the west don't have ruins - because they focused on different things? Thanks for any info.

P.S. What does S.R. of C.V. mean? I've seen it on all Mexican items and figure it has something to do with the government but I don't know what it is.

Posted by Janis on July 20, 1999

Hola Zach,

I think you could spend the rest of your life's vacations visiting ruins (I certainly hope to) in Mexico and south into Belize, Guatemala and beyond. I'm no expert but here are my impressions from memory.

All depends on where you would like to start. In ALL cases go to any ruins as early as possible in the day to avoid crowds and noonday sun. Wear sturdy shoes like hiking boots and take your own water too.

Pick up a guidebook, Fodor's Berkey budget guides are pretty good and you can read up on the sites to decide.

Teotihuacan (Sun & Moon) is indeed close to Mexico City and you can take a local bus or a tour bus to both sites. They are large and impressive and I always opt for a guide to explain/answer questions. The pyramid of the sun is wider at the base than the ruins in Egypt and not as tall. You can climb both the sun and the moon if you are so inclined. (bad pun I know)

In the Oaxaca area, about an hour to hour and a half plane ride south and west from Mexico City are Monte Alban, Mitla and Yagul. These are the first ruins I visited in Mexico, so they have a special place in my heart, but if I'm really honest, they are quite nice, but not as tall and impressive as some of the others I've visited. Monte Alban is on a large plateau above Oaxaca City and the view is splendid. You can climb the ruins easily, as they are not high.

Two years ago my husband and I did a "ruins loop" tour through the Yucatan. Started at Tulum, a beautiful setting overlooking the ocean (You see it in major cruise line commercials in the states these days). Be sure to go early, stop to watch the Indian pole dancers at the entrance and wear your bathing suit. After you explore the ruins you can climb down to the beach and float in the ocean and look up at the ruins from your back. Great way to get a different perspective.

Then we went on to Chichen Itza. We flew in and the small 10 seater circled over the ruins for a bird's eye view that was pretty neat. This is a large tourist spot with a large pyramid and many surrounding ruins such as a ball court and a sacrificial pool. Worth the visit but very crowded with tour buses from the Cancun/Cozumel/Playa corridor. In the evening they do a sound and light show that some think is pretty tacky, but we loved it. (Maybe it was all the tequila at dinner?)

We then drove on to Uxmal, the first really high pyramid I climbed. My husband, the human mountain goat, ran up everything we ever visited. I returned very early in the a.m. just as the park opened and took my time in the cool of the day. Without screaming kids and a line of people directly behind me, I actually enjoyed the climb. The view was great. (Be sure to check out the ambulance parked discreetly in the shade. Our guide wouldn't tell us how many tourists tall off in the average year). This is a great area with several ruins including the pyramid, a ball court, the palace of the governor and the house of the turtle. (They also do a sound and light show and if you aren't groaning C H A A C (rain god's name) for months afterward every time it rains, I'll be surprised).

Nearby, we also visited Kabah, recently in National Geo, the caves at Lotun, the arch at Labnah, all of which are smaller, but still worth the trip. We did Uxmal in one full day and the other ruins the next. It was a little tight, but can be done. We stayed at the Hacienda Uxmal, which has a nice pool - you need it after a day of climbing ruins. This past January we returned to the Yucatan and visited Coba by rental car. Some people claim that you can do Tulum and Coba in one day, but I don't think so unless you rush through both sites. If I had to do both, I'd hit Coba first, then Tulum, so I could swim after. The drive from Puerto Morelos (1/2 hour south of Cancun) to Coba took a couple of hours and we missed the turnoff three times (it's near the Pemex station BEFORE you get into Tulum city proper). This road is pothole city! We also hit Coba before the tour buses came. We were the only car in the lot when we got there and someone had to move a bus to let us out three hours later. This ruin is in its more original state. Very little of the area is cleared and you really get the feeling of a Mexican jungle (bring bug spray). You can climb the ruin here, but the steps are pretty far apart and crumbling. We hired a guide at the entrance and enjoyed learning about his life in addition to the history of Coba.

Hope to hit Palenque in the near future and perhaps Tikal this winter.

Sorry I went on and on! Got started and couldn't stop this travelog in my mind. Good luck in your travels. Hope you grow to love exploring ruins as much as I.

Posted by Maria on July 17, 1999

Surprisingly, no one has mentioned some of the most important archaeological sites in the Western Hemisphere - Monte Alban and Mitla, along with dozens of other sites open to the public and hundreds still buried. These are found in the beautiful state of Oaxaca, which is aprox. 300 miles southeast of Mexico City and accessible by plane, bus or car. Visit any Oaxacan website or any archaeological book, directory or website and you will find more information.

Posted by Rhonda in Cuernavaca on July 17, 1999

Depends on what you are looking for as to which are the best to visit. If it’s sheer size, the Teotihuacan (so called pyramids of the sun and the moon) are the largest – also the most accessible from Mexico City and the most visited - heaps of tourists. Excellent site museum. I personally find the place rather sterile. There are literally scores of other fascinating sites - if you're interested in ruins, investigate more. Re arch. sites in the west - the major civilisations were in the central plateau and the Yucatan. Think seriously of touring the Yucatan. Email me