8 archaeological sites
Puebla has 8 archaeological sites with their own page on Puebloteca, near the Pueblos Mágicos of Huejotzingo, Cuetzalan, and Teziutlán. The closest to a pueblo is Yohualichan, 5 km from Cuetzalan; the farthest out is Zona Arqueológica de Tizatlán, 28 km from Huejotzingo.
Most archaeological sites are run by INAH and open from about 8 or 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a small fee. Midday is the hottest and busiest time, so go early.
Best months, when most of these towns are dry with comfortable afternoons: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr.
The Ruins 8
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Yohualichan · Archaeological site · 5 km from Cuetzalan
Totonac ruins in the cloud forest with niche-covered pyramids like El Tajín's and one of the longest ball courts in Mesoamerica. -
San Juan Xiutetelco · Archaeological site · 7 km from Teziutlán
A town built over pre-Hispanic pyramids, a few still visible in the center, with a community museum of finds from the area. -
Cacaxtla-Xochitécatl · Archaeological site · 12 km from Huejotzingo
Twin hilltop sites across the Tlaxcala line, famous for vivid Maya-style murals of a battle, preserved under a huge roof. -
Zona Arqueológica de Tizatlán · Archaeological site · 28 km from Huejotzingo
Seat of a Tlaxcalan lordship where the alliance with Cortés was sealed, with painted altars beside a 16th-century open chapel. -
Cantona · Archaeological site · Tepeyahualco
Fortified pre-Hispanic city on a lava field in eastern Puebla, with over 500 paved streets and at least 24 ballcourts. -
Hueyatlaco · Archaeological site · Municipio de Puebla
Dig site at Valsequillo south of Puebla whose stone tools were dated to about 250,000 years ago, one of archaeology's great controversies. -
Los Cerritos de Tepatlaxco · Archaeological site · San Martín Texmelucan
Nine pyramid bases on the rims of ravines on the slopes of Cerro Totolqueme, inhabited from 300 BC to 600 AD, just outside Texmelucan. -
Tlalancaleca (zona arqueológica) · Archaeological site · Tlahuapan
Formative-period city at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, among central Mexico's largest before Teotihuacan; it outlived a Popocatépetl eruption.
On the map
Distances are in a straight line; roads add about a third.
Where to stay
The Pueblos Mágicos these places are closest to, each with hotels, food and getting-there notes.
More places like these
More in Puebla
Ruins elsewhere
Names and locations from OpenStreetMap; notes and write-ups are our own.