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    The North Acropolis pyramid at the Yaxuná ruins, Yucatán

    Photo by Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    The War Council House at Yaxuná, Yucatán

    Photo by Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    View from the ballcourt toward the main plaza at Yaxuná, Yucatán

    Photo by Dennis G. Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

    Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná

    Archaeological site Yaxcabá, Yucatán Municipality of Yaxcabá Yucatán's cenote route Eastern Yucatán

    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.

    From Valladolid: 1 h 5 min by car (69 km by road) How to get there ↓

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    Tours to Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná

    A guide brings Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná to life: look for tours from Valladolid that include the site and the ride there.

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    How to get to Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná

    • From Valladolid: about 1 h 5 min by road (~69 km)
    • Nearest airport: Tulum (TQO), 2 h by car to Valladolid
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    Route, map and directions ↓

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    About Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná

    Yaxuná (also written Yaxunah) is a Maya city in the municipality of Yaxcabá, about 25 km southeast of Chichén Itzá and about a kilometre from the present-day village of the same name. It was lived in for an unusually long time, from the Middle Formative through the Postclassic, and in its heyday it was one of the main political centres of the north-central peninsula, roughly equidistant from its three coasts.

    Its history mirrors the rivalries of its neighbours. In the Late Formative the builders raised triadic groups of pyramids linked by north–south roads, and in the Early Classic some of the big pyramids were remodelled to hold royal tombs; one king was buried in the North Acropolis around AD 350. In the Late Classic, around 600–800, Cobá took control of Yaxuná and built the famous sacbé, a raised white road about 100 km long running east to Cobá, described as the longest the Maya ever built. When Chichén Itzá went to war with Cobá in the Terminal Classic, Yaxuná put up a city wall, but Chichén appears to have taken it around 950; the city was sacked and ritually "terminated", with deposits of smashed objects sealing its buildings, and it never recovered.

    Today the site is partly excavated and wooded. The main group is the Acrópolis Norte, a long platform with three pyramid structures, with a ballcourt about 100 metres to the south, the Popol Nah or War Council House with carved Puuc-style stonework, a round building known as the observatory, and many unexcavated mounds. Visitors are few, so it is usually just you and the birds. The village runs a community cultural centre and the Lol-Ha cenote, and the two are easily combined.

    How to get to Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná

    Drive from Valladolid: 1 h 5 min, 69 km

    Yaxuná is about 25 km southeast of Chichén Itzá; from Pisté it is roughly a 30-minute drive south on local roads, and taxis or mototaxis from Pisté go there. From Mérida, tours that combine the ruins with the Lol-Ha cenote take about two and a quarter hours each way. The site is about 1 km from the village.

    Directions to Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná on Google Maps

    Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.

    Best with a guide Tours to Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná on Viator With transport and a guide, leaving from nearby towns and cities. See prices →

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    From the nearest cities to Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic or stops. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Before you go to Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná: hours, prices and tips

    Hours
    Community tours of the site and the Lol-Ha cenote run daily 9:00–17:00, all year. Yucatán Travel (SEFOTUR) · checked Oct 2026
    Entry
    Travellers report about 100 pesos per person for the ruins; sometimes nobody is collecting. Ask at the village. iOverlander (traveller reports) · checked Oct 2026
    Time needed
    About 2 hours for the site and the cenote. Yucatán Travel (SEFOTUR) · checked Oct 2026
    Guide or tour
    Little is signposted; the community offers guided tours (+52 985 114 0808, yaxunah.org) and a small cultural centre in the village explains the site. Tours: Viator GetYourGuide Yucatán Travel (SEFOTUR) · checked Oct 2026

    Hours and prices change, especially around holidays. Each fact links to where we checked it.

    Visiting Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná: what to see and do

    Climb the North Acropolis, where a royal tomb from around AD 350 was found.
    See the carved Puuc-style stonework of the War Council House (Popol Nah).
    Walk to the ballcourt and the round 'observatory'.
    Look for the start of the sacbé that ran about 100 km to Cobá.
    Swim in the 30-metre-deep Lol-Ha cenote in the village afterwards.

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    Places to stay in Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná

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    Tours & activities

    A guide brings Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná to life: look for tours from Valladolid that include the site and the ride there.

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    Rental cars

    Pick up a car at TQO (Tulum): about 2 h by road to Valladolid, then 51 km more to Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná, on your own schedule.

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    Flights

    The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Tulum (TQO), about 2 h by road from Valladolid, the base for Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná.

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    Mobile data

    Signal can drop away from Valladolid: download a map of the way to Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná before you set out, or carry an eSIM with data.

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    When to go to Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná warm

    Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná shares the climate of Valladolid, 51 km away. The best months to visit are January, February, November, and December.

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    The closest Pueblo Mágico: Valladolid

    Twin towers of the Cathedral of San Gervasio and palms, Valladolid, Yucatán warm
    Yucatán Valladolid

    Valladolid is the Pueblo Mágico closest to Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná, with places to stay, food, and more to see.

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    Near Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná

    Drive times by road from OpenStreetMap, without traffic. Times marked ~ are estimated from the straight-line distance.

    Lists with Zona Arqueológica de Yaxuná

    Ruins in Yucatán · 14 Ruins near Valladolid · 4 Ruins near Izamal · 6

    Location from OpenStreetMap. Written by Puebloteca.