14 Ruins in Yucatán, Mexico: Map & Photos

14 archaeological sites

Yucatán has 14 archaeological sites with their own page on Puebloteca, near the Pueblos Mágicos of Maní, Motul, Tekax, and Valladolid. The closest to a pueblo is Chacmultún, 7 km from Tekax; the farthest out is Uxmal, 40 km from Maní.

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, Nov, Dec.

The Ruins 14

Chacmultún · Archaeological site · 7 km from Tekax
Maya buildings of reddish stone set on wooded hillsides just southwest of Tekax, with traces of ancient murals.
Aké · Archaeological site · 17 km from Motul
Maya ruins with a platform of 36 stone columns beside a henequen hacienda that still makes rope with old machinery.
Ek' Balam · Archaeological site · 23 km from Valladolid
A walled Maya city north of Valladolid with a huge acropolis and some of the best-preserved stucco sculpture in the Maya world.
Xcambó · Archaeological site · 25 km from Motul
A Maya salt-trading port near the coast, with a small colonial chapel on its plaza and flamingos often in nearby lagoons.
Mayapán · Archaeological site · 28 km from Maní
The last great Maya capital of Yucatán, with a round observatory and painted stucco; closed since early 2024 over a land dispute.
Kabah · Archaeological site · 31 km from Maní
Uxmal's sister city on the Puuc Route, with a palace façade covered in hundreds of masks of the rain god Chaac.
Labná · Archaeological site · 31 km from Tekax
The Puuc Route site with the famous carved Maya arch and a temple crowned by a tall roof comb.
Dzibilchaltún · Archaeological site · 33 km from Motul
A long-lived Maya city north of Mérida with the Temple of the Seven Dolls, a deep cenote and a new site museum.
Acanceh · Archaeological site · 36 km from Motul
A Maya pyramid with giant stucco masks right on the main square of a living town, next to a colonial church.
Sayil · Archaeological site · 36 km from Maní
A Puuc Route city in the forest, known for its three-story Great Palace with columns and masks of Chaac.
Chichén Itzá · Archaeological site · 38 km from Valladolid
The great Maya city of the Yucatán and a World Heritage Site: El Castillo, the Great Ball Court and the Sacred Cenote.
Uxmal · Archaeological site · 40 km from Maní
The finest Puuc-style Maya city, a World Heritage Site with the oval Pyramid of the Magician and carved stone façades.
Oxkintok · Archaeological site · Maxcanú
One of the oldest cities of the Puuc region, 70 km south of Mérida, with the Satunsat labyrinth, an early ballcourt and hardly any crowds.
Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná · Archaeological site · Yaxcabá
A little-visited Maya city south of Chichén Itzá, at the western end of the 100 km sacbé from Cobá, with a North Acropolis, ballcourt and royal tombs.