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    Stone-faced platform of Mound 1 at the Olintepec archaeological zone, among the houses of Nueva Olintepec, Morelos

    Photo by Arturo jimenezmartinez, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Stepped stone walls at Olintepec archaeological zone, Ayala, Morelos

    Photo by Arturo jimenezmartinez, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec

    Archaeological site Ayala, Morelos Municipality of Ayala Southern Morelos

    Site occupied from 1500 BC to AD 1610, with a mound and a Dominican chapel among the houses of Nueva Olintepec, Ayala.

    From Cuautla: 15 min by car (13 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    How to get to Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec

    • From Cuautla: about 15 min by road (~13 km)
    • Nearest airport: Mexico City (MEX), 1 h 55 min by car to Tlaltizapán
    Rent a car at MEX Flights to MEX

    Route, map and directions ↓

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    About Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec

    Olintepec sits in the middle of the Nueva Olintepec neighborhood in the municipality of Ayala, south of Cuautla. This is not a site of big pyramids and open plazas: most of the ancient city lies under houses and streets, and INAH keeps open only the part beside the highway to Villa de Ayala. What it does offer is one of the longest occupation sequences in Morelos.

    According to INAH, people lived here without a break from the Early Preclassic into the early colonial period, roughly 1500 BC to AD 1610. In the Late Preclassic (500 to 150 BC) it was the regional center and one of the richest irrigated areas in the state; Ticoman-style pottery shows its ties to the Basin of Mexico. In the Late Postclassic it fell first to the Tepanecs and then to the Triple Alliance, paying tribute to Huaxtepec, the Mexica and Texcoco through a tax collector. Its Nahuatl name, "moving hill", renders the site's glyph.

    Mound 1 is the only excavated structure described in INAH's listing: it held 132 primary and 44 secondary burials, from the Middle Formative to the Late Postclassic. Next to it you can visit Structure 5, the remains of a large Postclassic platform on which Dominican friars built a 16th-century chapel. INAH's account says the few survivors were gathered in Cuautla in 1603.

    Expect a short stop with few visitor services. It makes most sense if you are already in Cuautla and want Morelos archaeology beyond Xochicalco and Chalcatzingo.

    How to get to Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec

    Drive from Cuautla: 15 min, 13 km

    Olintepec is on the Ayala-Moyotepec highway, in Nueva Olintepec, municipality of Ayala, south of Cuautla. INAH gives two routes from Cuautla: the highway to Villa de Ayala is 12 km; the Cuautla-Tlaltizapan state road is about 9 km. By car it is about 15 to 20 minutes from central Cuautla.

    From Mexico City, the usual way is to take a bus to Cuautla first (there are departures from Terminal Sur Taxqueña and TAPO; confirm company and schedule at the terminal) and continue by taxi or local transport toward Villa de Ayala or Nueva Olintepec. INAH says public transport serves the site but publishes no routes or operators, so ask in Cuautla for transport to Villa de Ayala and ask to get off at Nueva Olintepec. From Tlaltizapan, the nearest pueblo, it is about 17 km in a straight line. For questions, Centro INAH Morelos answers at (777) 314 4048.

    Directions to Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

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    From the nearest cities to Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec: hours, prices and tips

    Hours
    Wednesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00. INAH, Lugares: Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec · checked Oct 2026
    Entry
    Free admission. INAH, Lugares: Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec · checked Oct 2026
    Guide or tour
    Guided tours are listed as available on site. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide INAH, Lugares: Olintepec · checked Oct 2026
    Rules
    No smoking, food or pets on site. INAH, Lugares: Olintepec · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec: what to see and do

    Walk around Mound 1, in front of the municipal assistant's office, with Late Preclassic and Postclassic pyramid bases.
    Look at Structure 5, a large Postclassic platform topped by a 16th-century Dominican chapel.
    Notice the stone walls of the mound, surrounded by the houses of Nueva Olintepec.
    Follow the occupation sequence on site, from 1500 BC to AD 1610.
    Ask for a guided tour on site, which INAH lists as available.

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    Tours & activities

    A guide brings Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec to life: look for tours from Tlaltizapán that include the site and the ride there.

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    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at MEX (Mexico City): about 1 h 55 min by road to Tlaltizapán, then 17 km more to Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec, on your own schedule.

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    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Mexico City (MEX), about 1 h 55 min by road from Tlaltizapán, the base for Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec.

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    Signal can drop away from Tlaltizapán: download a map of the way to Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

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    When to go to Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec warm

    Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec shares the climate of Tlaltizapán, 17 km away. The best months to visit are January, October, November, and December.

    See the month-by-month climate of Tlaltizapán

    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Tlaltizapán

    Red facade of Zapata's headquarters of the Liberating Army of the South, Tlaltizapán, Morelos warm
    Morelos Tlaltizapán

    Tlaltizapán is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Near Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Lists with Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec

    Ruins in Morelos · 9 Ruins near Cuautla · 12 Ruins near Tlayacapan · 17 Ruins near Tepoztlán · 19 Ruins near Cuernavaca · 17 Ruins near Xochitepec · 12 Ruins near Malinalco · 11

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.