11 Ruins near Villa del Carbón: Map & Photos

11 archaeological sites · within 60 km

There are 11 archaeological sites within 60 km of Villa del Carbón in a straight line, an hour or a little more by road. The closest is Santa Cecilia Acatitlan, 36 km away; the farthest, Cuicuilco, is 56 km. They are listed under the Pueblos Mágicos of Tepotzotlán, Aculco, Jilotepec, and Metepec, 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

Santa Cecilia Acatitlan · Archaeological site · 36 km from Villa del Carbón · Near Tepotzotlán
A small Mexica pyramid with its temple rebuilt on top, the best idea of how Aztec shrines looked, plus a little museum.
Pirámide de Tenayuca · Archaeological site · 38 km from Villa del Carbón · Near Tepotzotlán
A Chichimec and Aztec pyramid rebuilt over itself many times, ringed by a wall of 138 carved stone serpents.
Tlatilco · Archaeological site · 38 km from Villa del Carbón · 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.
Zona Arqueológica de Tula · Archaeological site · 39 km from Villa del Carbón · Near Jilotepec
Tollan, capital of the Toltecs, where four 4-metre basalt warriors, the Atlantes, still stand on top of Pyramid B.
Baños de Moctezuma · Archaeological site · 45 km from Villa del Carbón · 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.
Tlatelolco · Archaeological site · 46 km from Villa del Carbón · 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.
Templo Mayor · Archaeological site · 48 km from Villa del Carbón · 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.
Zona Arqueológica de Calixtlahuaca · Archaeological site · 50 km from Villa del Carbón · Near Metepec
Matlatzinca and Aztec ruins on a hillside north of Toluca, known for a round temple to the wind god Ehécatl.
Zona Arqueológica de Huamango · Archaeological site · 50 km from Villa del Carbón · Near Aculco
Hilltop Otomí ceremonial center from around 900–1300 AD, with temple platforms and wide views over the Acambay valley.
Copilco · Archaeological site · 52 km from Villa del Carbón · 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 · 56 km from Villa del Carbón · 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.