17 Ruins near Tlayacapan, Morelos: Map & Photos

17 archaeological sites · within 60 km

There are 17 archaeological sites within 60 km of Tlayacapan in a straight line, an hour or a little more by road. The closest is Zona Arqueológica El Tlatoani, 2 km away; the farthest, Zona Arqueológica de Huexotla, is 59 km. They are listed under the Pueblos Mágicos of Tepoztlán, Xochitepec, and Teotihuacán, 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 17

Zona Arqueológica El Tlatoani · Archaeological site · 2 km from Tlayacapan · Morelos
Toltec-era terraces, burials and a pyramid platform (AD 900-1200) atop a Tlayacapan rock hill, excavated by INAH since 2012.
Zona Arqueológica de Yautepec · Archaeological site · 12 km from Tlayacapan · 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 Olintepec · Archaeological site · 24 km from Tlayacapan · Morelos
Site occupied from 1500 BC to AD 1610, with a mound and a Dominican chapel among the houses of Nueva Olintepec, Ayala.
Teopanzolco · Archaeological site · 25 km from Tlayacapan · Near Tepoztlán
A Tlahuica-Aztec temple base with twin stairways, now surrounded by Cuernavaca's Vista Hermosa neighborhood.
Cuahilama · Archaeological site · 33 km from Tlayacapan · 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 Las Pilas · Archaeological site · 35 km from Tlayacapan · Morelos
A small Teotihuacan-era ceremonial centre devoted to water, ringed by springs and set inside the Las Pilas swimming park in Jonacatepec.
Chalcatzingo · Archaeological site · 37 km from Tlayacapan · Morelos
Preclassic site at the foot of two rock massifs in eastern Morelos, famous for Olmec-style reliefs such as El Rey, the seated figure in a cave.
Xochicalco · Archaeological site · 37 km from Tlayacapan · Near Xochitepec
A UNESCO-listed hilltop city with the carved Temple of the Feathered Serpent, three ballcourts and a solar observatory cave.
Acozac · Archaeological site · 43 km from Tlayacapan · Estado de México
Acolhua ruins in Ixtapaluca with a round temple to Ehécatl and a great platform facing the volcanoes; free entry.
Cuicuilco · Archaeological site · 44 km from Tlayacapan · 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 de Coatetelco · Archaeological site · 45 km from Tlayacapan · Near Xochitepec
A small ceremonial center with a ballcourt and temple platforms beside the Coatetelco lagoon, an easy pairing with Xochicalco.
Copilco · Archaeological site · 48 km from Tlayacapan · 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.
Baños de Moctezuma · Archaeological site · 56 km from Tlayacapan · Ciudad de México
Pre-Hispanic water tank at the foot of Chapultepec hill plus the remains of an 1870 bathhouse; Moctezuma never bathed here, but the name stuck.
Templo Mayor · Archaeological site · 56 km from Tlayacapan · Ciudad de México
The Aztecs' great twin temple, unearthed after 1978 beside the Zócalo: walk through seven building stages, then see the Coyolxauhqui stone inside.
Tlatelolco · Archaeological site · 58 km from Tlayacapan · Ciudad de México
Aztec temples, a 1609 Franciscan church and modernist towers on one square: the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, site of the last stand of 1521 and of 1968.
Zona Arqueológica de Chimalacatlán · Archaeological site · 58 km from Tlayacapan · Morelos
Megalithic platforms on top of Cerro del Venado above a bend of the Amacuzac, occupied from about 1200 BC; not officially open to the public.
Zona Arqueológica de Huexotla · Archaeological site · 59 km from Tlayacapan · Near Teotihuacán
An old Acolhua city south of Texcoco with a rare surviving defensive wall and a Franciscan church on its ancient center.