From time to time, you will see in this blog that I trade formal shoes to flippers or boots in order to explore more of this world. It’s always a mix of luxury and adventure travel here at Holy Smithereens. And I hope that you too, share this passion of intoxicating concoction.
Mexico to me is a country where luxury lies in the richness of experience and history. The people I encountered, and the abundance of ancient history that lies next to beachside tourism.
It is a country that’s never short on tourists. With beach escapes like Los Cabos and Cancun, foreign visitors flock to the country in steady numbers throughout the year.
For those wishing to see and explore beyond the beach attractions of Mexico, here’s a rough and quick guide to it’s ruins.
There are hundreds of Mayan ruins all throughout Mexico. This is just my personal list, the ones I’ve visited on a 2-week trip.
1.) UXMAL
Location: 62 Kilometres South of Merida
Compared to other Mayan ruins, Uxmal was found in the best condition with a lot of details still intact.
Famous landmarks include Pyramid of the Magician and the Governor’s Palace.
2.) KABAH
Location: 140 Kilometers South of Merida
This is the 2nd largest ruin in Puuc region after Uxmal. The most famous structure in Uxmal is the Palace of the Masks, where there are hundreds of face masks of the rain god , “Chaac”.
The reverence of rain and thunder is due to the fact that the land and area is so arid and dry. Up to this day. I consumed 3 bottles of water just walking around the site.
3.) TLATELOLCO
Location: Mexico City
Tlatelolco is a “hot spot” in the archaeological world at the moment. In 2009, they discovered a mass grave containing 49 skeletons laid out in a neat line. The burial style makes historians think that the deaths happened during Spanish colonization period.
And recently, the peaks of a pyramid has also been discovered in the area which makes historians believe that Tlatelolco is much older than it is believed to be.
Apart from all these recent exciting discoveries, what makes Tlatelolco special is it’s location. Right in the heart of Ciudad de Mexico (Mexico City), you can see the contrast of 3 worlds: The Mayan Empire, The Spanish Colonial Era, and the Modern Mexico.
And to make things even more significant, this was also the site of the 1968 Tlatelolco Massacre, where hundreds of unarmed Mexicans (mostly students) were gunned down by military and police forces.
4.) CHICHEN ITZA
Location: 186 Kilometers from Cancun
No introductions required, Chichen Itza is by far the most famous and most visited Mayan Ruin in Mexico (attracting 1.2 Million tourists a year).
It’s important to know that they do not allow visitors to climb Chichen Itza anymore. (2 years ago, actress Sofia Vergara and her then-fiance were almost arrested after her fiance thought it romantic to propose to her atop the pyramid)
Other famous spots in the area are the Great Ball Court and the Temple of a Thousand Warriors.
5.) TULUM
Location: 140 Kilometers from Cancun
Tulum has gained a very romantic reputation because of the prime location of its ruins. Ancient ruins that overlook the Caribbean blue.
Tulum was a pre-colonial walled Mayan City which served as a major port for Coba. All I can think of was how this must be real estate gold during the time. Only posh Mayans allowed in the area!
6.) TEOTIHUACAN
Location: 48 Kilometers from Mexico City
I saved my favourite ruin for last. Teotihuacan is a large city that became the epicenter of culture and commerce for ancient Mesoamerica.
What remains today are the rough stone structures of 3 pyramids which tourists can still climb, along with sacrificial altars.
Even with the few structures that remain, it was easy for me to imagine what a bustling centre of trade Teotihuacan was.
Popular sites in the area include the Pyramid of the Sun (above) and the Avenue of the Dead.
What a cool guide to Mayan ruins, Jean! Very inspiring to visit these places as I haven’t visited any of them despite growing up not so far away in Florida. When I was 19 I visited Europe alone and got…hooked. We’ve seen many other areas of the world but we haven’t explored Mexico yet. Amazing as there are even cheap cruises to Mexico from Tampa where we lived for 2 and 1/2 years together before moving to Europe. Thing was, Bell was on a conditional US marriage visa and paperwork and hassle was required to come back into the US for her. So when we travelled back then we kept it within the US for 2 years. But now that we’re back Mexico should be due at some point, especially seeing these beautiful photos! 🙂
Hi Alex, wow 2.5 years in Tampa! must have been great, so close to the carribbean! I’m pretty sure you guys will do a whole lot of exploring now that you are in the US — sooo close to Mexico 🙂
John Watkins
Great guide to the Mayan ruins in Mexico! The only time I’ve been to Mexico is for a beach vacation. Next time we go, I’m definitely going to hit a few of these spots!
Mexico is quite close to you guys, I hope you get to visit the ruins one day 🙂 as for us, we took the chance to do the ruins in the trip as I don’t know when I’ll be back in Mexico!
Ah, Chichen Itza is the one we want to visit while we’re in Cancun, just not sure we’ll have the time since we are there for a work conference. I had no idea about the Sofia Vergara thing, that’s kinda funny haha.
You have the coolest job! 🙂 Yeah people normally take day trips from Cancun to Chicen Itza there’s a lot of tour buses and you can probably even book on the same day. Yeah haha that was funny about Sofia Vergara. They insisted that they got permission to climb 🙂
I’ve never been to Mexico but it’s definitely on my wishlist! It looks so rich in culture 😀
Definitely rich in culture, Lorraine! The variety of food was a surprise too. I always thought Mexican food tasted the same throughout (same base) but they have varied foods throughout the region. Would love to see you do a food tour around Mexico 🙂
I’m off to Mexico next week, so this post was super helpful! Chichen Itza is obviously on my list, as well as Tulum, Ek Balam and Coba. Not sure if we’ll make it to the others. Unfortunately, we had to leave Mexico City off this trip – not enough time. I was so bummed – I love cities!!
awesome! i’m glad the post helped you Katie 🙂 If you love cities you will like Mexico City for sure, it still remains to be one of my favourite cities. Have fun on your Mexico trip!
Hoping to get over there to see them this year! Great photos!