10 Ruins near Toluca, Mexico: Map & Photos

10 archaeological sites · within 60 km

There are 10 archaeological sites within 60 km of Toluca in a straight line, an hour or a little more by road. The closest is Zona Arqueológica de Calixtlahuaca, 6 km away; the farthest, Santa Cecilia Acatitlan, is 58 km. They are listed under the Pueblos Mágicos of Metepec and Tepotzotlán, 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 10

Zona Arqueológica de Calixtlahuaca · Archaeological site · 6 km from Toluca · Near Metepec
Matlatzinca and Aztec ruins on a hillside north of Toluca, known for a round temple to the wind god Ehécatl.
Teotenango · Archaeological site · 21 km from Toluca · Near Metepec
A walled hilltop city above Tenango del Valle, with plazas, pyramids and a ball court looking over the valley.
Tlatilco · Archaeological site · 48 km from Toluca · Estado de México
A Preclassic village famous for its figurines, now under the streets and factories of San Luis Tlatilco; there is no site to visit.
Copilco · Archaeological site · 50 km from Toluca · 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.
Cuicuilco · Archaeological site · 50 km from Toluca · 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.
Baños de Moctezuma · Archaeological site · 52 km from Toluca · 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 · 57 km from Toluca · 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 · 57 km from Toluca · 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.
Pirámide de Tenayuca · Archaeological site · 58 km from Toluca · Near Tepotzotlán
A Chichimec and Aztec pyramid rebuilt over itself many times, ringed by a wall of 138 carved stone serpents.
Santa Cecilia Acatitlan · Archaeological site · 58 km from Toluca · Near Tepotzotlán
A small Mexica pyramid with its temple rebuilt on top, the best idea of how Aztec shrines looked, plus a little museum.