11 Ruins near Malinalco, Estado de México: Map & Photos

11 archaeological sites · within 60 km

There are 11 archaeological sites within 60 km of Malinalco in a straight line, an hour or a little more by road. The closest is Teotenango, 20 km away; the farthest, Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec, is 59 km. They are listed under the Pueblos Mágicos of Metepec, Tepoztlán, and Xochitepec, which make good bases.

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, Dec.

The Ruins 11

Teotenango · Archaeological site · 20 km from Malinalco · Near Metepec
A walled hilltop city above Tenango del Valle, with plazas, pyramids and a ball court looking over the valley.
Xochicalco · Archaeological site · 27 km from Malinalco · Near Xochitepec
A UNESCO-listed hilltop city with the carved Temple of the Feathered Serpent, three ballcourts and a solar observatory cave.
Teopanzolco · Archaeological site · 29 km from Malinalco · Near Tepoztlán
A Tlahuica-Aztec temple base with twin stairways, now surrounded by Cuernavaca's Vista Hermosa neighborhood.
Zona Arqueológica de Coatetelco · Archaeological site · 31 km from Malinalco · Near Xochitepec
A small ceremonial center with a ballcourt and temple platforms beside the Coatetelco lagoon, an easy pairing with Xochicalco.
Zona Arqueológica de Yautepec · Archaeological site · 46 km from Malinalco · Near Tepoztlán
The excavated platform of a Tlahuica lord's palace in the middle of Yautepec, a quick stop on the way to Oaxtepec or Cuautla.
Zona Arqueológica de Calixtlahuaca · Archaeological site · 47 km from Malinalco · Near Metepec
Matlatzinca and Aztec ruins on a hillside north of Toluca, known for a round temple to the wind god Ehécatl.
Cuicuilco · Archaeological site · 51 km from Malinalco · Ciudad de México
A round, terraced pyramid more than 2,000 years old, half-swallowed by lava from the Xitle volcano, free to visit beside Insurgentes Sur.
Zona Arqueológica El Tlatoani · Archaeological site · 52 km from Malinalco · Morelos
Toltec-era terraces, burials and a pyramid platform (AD 900-1200) atop a Tlayacapan rock hill, excavated by INAH since 2012.
Copilco · Archaeological site · 54 km from Malinalco · Ciudad de México
A Preclassic village buried under Xitle's lava, tunnelled into by Manuel Gamio in 1917; its site museum closed to the public in the early 1980s.
Cuahilama · Archaeological site · 56 km from Malinalco · Ciudad de México
Hill with 15th-century petroglyphs in Santa Cruz Acalpixca, Xochimilco: free entry, a half-hour climb and views over the canals.
Zona Arqueológica de Olintepec · Archaeological site · 59 km from Malinalco · Morelos
Site occupied from 1500 BC to AD 1610, with a mound and a Dominican chapel among the houses of Nueva Olintepec, Ayala.