5 archaeological sites
Veracruz has 5 archaeological sites with their own page on Puebloteca, near the Pueblo Mágico of Papantla. The closest to a pueblo is El Tajín, 5 km from Papantla; the farthest out is Cuyuxquihui, 17 km from Papantla.
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: Feb, Mar, Apr, Dec.
The Ruins 5
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El Tajín · Archaeological site · 5 km from Papantla
The great ancient city of the Gulf coast, with the Pyramid of the Niches, many ball courts and voladores at the gate. -
Cuyuxquihui · Archaeological site · 17 km from Papantla
A small Totonac city founded as El Tajín declined, with a pyramid at the edge of a cliff and a large ball court. -
Cempoala · Archaeological site · Úrsulo Galván
The walled Totonac capital where Cortés met the "Fat Cacique" in 1519: pyramids, round temples and stone rings in a grassy plaza, run by INAH. -
Quiahuiztlan · Archaeological site · Actopan
Totonac hillside city and cemetery above Villa Rica bay, with 78 tombs built like tiny temples; here the Totonacs allied with Cortés in 1519. -
Tres Zapotes · Archaeological site · Santiago Tuxtla
Olmec and Epi-Olmec centre occupied for some 2,000 years; its village museum keeps a colossal head and Stela C, with one of the oldest Long Count dates.
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.
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Ruins elsewhere
All lists by kind and regionNames and locations from OpenStreetMap; notes and write-ups are our own.