9 Epic Mayan Ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula Worth Exploring!
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They built grand cities, carved intricate temples, mapped the stars and created a complex calendar system. They also offered human sacrifices to appease their gods.
We’re talking about the ancient Maya – a civilization as mysterious as it is fascinating.
If you’re visiting Cancun or the Riviera Maya in Mexico, you’ll have the chance to walk among the remnants of this once-powerful culture. Scattered across the Yucatan region are extraordinary archaeological sites that bring Mayan history to life.
We’ve explored several ourselves – so come step back in time with us, as we share nine of the most stunning and best Mayan ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula!
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Contents: Yucatan Mayan ruins
Ruins, the Riviera and really cool history
So, where exactly are these epic ruins?
They’re scattered across the Yucatan Peninsula – a massive chunk of southern Mexico covering about 76,300 square miles. The Caribbean Sea laps its east coast, while the Gulf of Mexico hugs the west and north.
The region is made up of three states: Campeche (west coast), Yucatan (north) and Quintana Roo (east). The latter is where you’ll find the beachy Mexican hot spots – Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and the island of Cozumel. (See our guide on Cancun vs. Cozumel if you’re torn between these two places.)
From all these destinations, you can easily do a half- or full-day Mayan ruins tour (though from Cozumel you’ll first need a ferry ride to the mainland).
As for how many sites exist? That’s a bit of a mystery.
Scholars know of at least 200 ancient Mayan ruins in Mexico – some dating back 2,500 years – though estimates across Latin America top 4,400. Most cities were abandoned around 900 A.D., for reasons that still stump historians.
What we do know is that the Maya people left behind grandiose monuments, mysterious inscriptions, beautiful art and symbolic artifacts like pottery, sports structures and jewelry.
They give us a fascinating glimpse into what life was like in the Maya world at the height of its civilization.
And don’t worry about getting “ruined out” on your Yucatan vacation! Pair the ruins with plenty of beach time (and those fabulous Riviera Maya cenotes!) – and you’ve got the perfect mix.
Best Mayan ruins in the Yucatan
1) Chichen Itza ruins
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the spectacular ruins at Chichen Itza (located about 120 miles west of Cancun) are Mexico’s most famous Mayan ruins.
Sprawling across more than four square miles, Chichen Itza was once one of the largest Mayan cities, home to hundreds of structures. At its peak, some 50,000 people lived here.
Visiting them is truly one of the most fascinating experiences Mexico has to offer!
After we visited, we came away feeling that we’d stepped into another world. No wonder Chichen Itza made the 2007 list of the New Seven Wonders of the World!
Today, you can easily visit on a day tour. (Tip: allow at least three hours to properly wander the ruins – four if you’re into history and culture as much as we are.)
Can you climb Chichen Itza?
We first visited when you could still scramble up Chichen Itza’s Mayan monuments. (A sweaty work-out. But the views were awesome!)
These days, climbing isn’t allowed, to help preserve the ruins.
Honestly, you might be grateful, however. Chichen Itza is very hot and humid – and the grandeur is just as powerful from the ground.
El Castillo pyramid
You’ve likely seen pictures of the towering El Castillo, also known as the Temple of Kukulcan.
Dedicated to the feathered serpent god Kukulcan (or Quetzalcoatl), Chichen Itza’s main pyramid rises nearly 100 feet.
Count the steps. There are 365 steps – 91 on each of the pyramid’s four sides, plus one final step at the top – one step for each day of the year.
Built between the 9th and 12th centuries AD, it dominates the site.
Temple of the Warriors
Another highlight is the Temple of the Warriors, fronted by around 200 columns (carved with images of warriors) that probably once supported a palm-and-grass roof.
At the top, a Chac Mool statue – reclining with a bowl on its stomach – guards the temple.
Pok ta pok
Be sure to see Chichen Itza’s huge ball court.
Mayan men played a game called pok ta pok (similar to today’s basketball). Using their hips, they’d try to hurl a heavy rubber ball through a stone ring mounted 21 feet high on a wall.
There’s some debate about what happened once a team got the ball in.
Some say the captain of the winning team was then decapitated as a sacrifice (ensuring his entrance into heaven). Others say the losers were decapitated.
Either way, it was a game to the death!
Getting from Cancun to Chichen Itza
Chichen Itza is roughly a 2½-hour drive along a well-paved highway.
Chichen Itza tours
The easiest way to see Chichen Itza is to join a guided tour. Most tours include lunch and a refreshing swim in a cenote.
You can book online before your trip (recommended!) or at your hotel once you’ve arrived.
- From Cancun: Check out this highly-rated sunrise tour with exclusive early access. Beat the crowds (and the heat!) and snap photos without other people mucking up your shot. A Mexican lunch is included before returning to Cancun (extra cost).
- From Tulum: This top-rated small-group tour (more than 1,970 glowing 5-star reviews!) combines Chichen Itza with a swim in a community-run cenote and lunch in the charming colonial city of Valladolid.
- From Playa del Carmen: Consider a private day-long tour that gets you to Chichen Itza ahead of the masses. With your own guide, you’ll enjoy in-depth storytelling plus swimming in a cenote, lunch and a possible stop at Valladolid.
2) Tulum ruins
Bring your bathing suit when you visit the Tulum ruins!
Dating back to the 13th century, they aren’t nearly as extensive as Chichen Itza.
But Tulum has something truly special – it’s the only Mayan city perched right on the coast (about 80 miles south of Cancun). And it boasts a drop-dead gorgeous beach.
You enter through a high limestone wall that protected the city (“Tulum” means “wall” in Mayan).
The most iconic structure is its cliff-top castle. Carved with plumed serpents, it overlooks the turquoise Caribbean sea.
Also peer inside the Temple of the Frescoes to see original Mayan frescoes (in blue, green and black), depicting Mayan gods and the world of the dead and the living.
For sheer convenience, they’re easily the best Yucatan ruins to check out while staying in Tulum!
The beach
On one of our visits, it was hot, hot, hot. So the best part for us that day was making our way down to the sugar-white beach afterward.
We dove into the tequila-clear waters for a long refreshing swim. Aaahhh… The Mayans picked a good spot for this city!
More about Tulum’s ruins
We’ve written all about the ruins at Tulum, so hop on over to that guide for all the details!
3) Coba ruins
Nestled deep in the thick jungle near two lakes, the once-great Mayan city of Coba flourished between 400 and 1100 AD.
Because it’s in a more remote location than other ancient Mexican ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula, Coba offers a greater sense of discovery. It sees fewer tourists than Chichen Itza and Tulum, and it feels very authentic.
Go early in the morning, and spider monkeys, birds and butterflies may be your only other companions!
An important trade center, Coba was the hub for a series of ancient white limestone roads. Called sacbe (which means “stone road” or “white road”) these elevated roads radiated out from the city, like spokes on a wheel.
The longest road extends over 60 miles, from Coba to Yaxuna.
Nohoch Mul Pyramid
The ruins of Coba hide one of the tallest Mayan pyramids on the Yucatan Peninsula – the 138-foot-high Ixmoja temple.
Part of the Nohoch Mul group (and often simply called the Nohoch Mul Pyramid), it was most likely used for important religious purposes, with offerings and sacrifices made to the gods.
Up until a few years ago, you could huff and puff your way up its steep 120 stone steps to the top, clinging to a thick rope hanging down the middle.
Climbing is no longer allowed today – and from a safety perspective, it’s probably for the best that you enjoy the massive pyramid by gazing up at it. It’s still a humbling sight!
Coba ruins tour
These impressive ruins are vast, so if you don’t fancy walking, you can rent a bike or hire a rickshaw and driver to pedal you around.
Prefer to explore Coba on a guided tour from Cancun, Tulum or Playa del Carmen? Most day trips bundle Coba with other fascinating stops.
Take this top-notch small-group day tour. It’s 10 hours long and includes:
- Hotel pick-up and transportation along the Riviera Maya
- A visit to the Tulum Mayan ruins
- Exploring the Coba archaeological site
- A refreshing swim at a cenote
- Buffet lunch
4) Xcaret ruins (Pole)
About 45 miles south of Cancun, Xcaret is a massive eco-archaeological park built around the ruins of Pole, a 15th-century Mayan port. (Xcaret was once called Pole.)
Truth be told, most people don’t come here just for the ruins.
You’re likely to visit Xcaret for its other fun activities.
There’s a Mexican folk art museum, a marine turtle conservation sanctuary, an island with jaguars, a manatee lagoon, a butterfly pavilion, a coral reef aquarium – more than 53 attractions and activities in all!
For us, the highlight was floating down Xcaret’s underground river.
Part of a large and natural underground cave system, the river is five feet deep.
Donning life jackets and snorkels, we swam through limestone tunnels, emerging now and then into sunlit cenotes. We didn’t see any schools of tropical fish, but the 45-minute swim was unique – and so much fun!
Cool factoid: Centuries ago, when Xcaret was a trading port and ceremonial center, Mayan pilgrims bathed here on their way to Cozumel to worship Ixchel, the fertility goddess.
5) Uxmal ruins
About 40 miles south of Mérida, Uxmal lies along the Puuc Route (a chain of ancient Mayan cities built in the Puuc architectural style).
Once the capital of the Puuc region, it thrived between the 6th and 10th centuries and, at its height, was home to some 25,000 Mayans.
The most striking structure is the Pyramid of the Magician. Rising 114 feet, it’s instantly recognizable because of its unusual oval base. According to legend, it was magically built in a single night by a dwarf sorcerer.
Nearby, the Governor’s Palace shows off the Puuc style – smooth lower walls topped with ornate stone mosaics (geometric patterns, birds, serpents and masks of Chaac, the rain god).
Uxmal vs. Chichen Itza?
Like Chichen Itza (#1 above) Uxmal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many travelers (us included!) find Uxmal just as awe-inspiring.
But unlike its more famous cousin, it attracts far fewer tourists. For this reason alone, some prefer Uxmal’s Mayan pyramids, because you can savor their grandeur without battling big crowds.
Uxmal guided tours
Tours typically depart from Merida.
- Shared tour: This popular 9-hour tour pairs Uxmal with a visit to Kabah, another important archaeological site in the area. Finish off with dip at Peba’s underground cenote.
- Private tour: Traveling with friends or family? Check out this private 8-hour Uxmal tour from Merida (recommended by 98% of travelers). After exploring Uxmal in the morning, you visit the Chocolate Museum to learn how the Mayans used cocoa beans, then cap off the day with a refreshing cenote swim.
6) Museo Maya de Cancun ruins
You’ll even find Mayan ruins in Cancun! They sit beside the Museo Maya de Cancun (the Mayan Museum of Cancun), located right in the hotel zone.
The museum itself is a hit with beach-goers who can duck in and gain a little insight into Mayan history and culture without going far.
Museum exhibits
A highlight is the 14,000-year-old skeletal remains of “The Woman of the Palms,” discovered in a local cenote near Tulum. It’s believed she was between 44 and 50 years old when she died.
(You may or may not see her, depending on whether her remains have been removed for research purposes when you visit.)
In total, the museum houses some 3,500 artifacts (with about 350 on display), ranging from pottery and burial masks to tools, weapons and sculptures.
Ruins at the museum
Step outside to explore the San Miguelito ruins, dating back around 800 years.
Stroll the paths winding through the lush landscaped grounds to see them. Five of the 40 structures are open to the public, including a 26-foot-high pyramid.
Granted, they’re not the same as Chichen Itza (or Uxmal). But for families or anyone short on time, visiting the museum and ruins is a fascinating and easy way to experience ancient Mayan culture in Cancun.
7) Ek Balam
Still relatively new on the tourist radar, the Ek Balam ruins are found about 19 miles north of Valladolid, right in the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula. (The name “Ek Balam” means “the black jaguar.”)
It’s a smaller site with ongoing excavation and reconstruction – and blissfully free of big tour buses and crowds. Think off-the-beaten-track authenticity.
The ruins are also very close to a beautiful cenote, Cenote X’canche or Ek Balam Cenote.
Climbing the soaring Acropolis pyramid
What makes Ek Balam especially cool is that you can still climb its main temple – the 95-foot-high Acropolis pyramid – as well as several other ruins. The steps are steep though, so take extra care going up and down.
Ek Balam guided tours
Here are some great options…
- From Playa del Carmen: Enjoy an in-depth tour of Ek Balam plus an early-access visit to Chichen-Itza on this small-group adventure (maximum 15 people). Lunch and a swim at Cenote Hubiku are included.
- From Playa del Carmen: Explore the Ek Balam ruins and cool off in a cenote on this ruins-and-cenote tour (recommended by 96% of travelers).
- From Cancun: Add extra thrills by pairing Ek Balam with Cenote Maya Park for swimming, ziplining and rapelling on thiss fun Ek-Balam adventure.
8) Calakmul ruins
Chances are you’ve never heard of Calakmul, right?
Hidden deep in the Campeche jungle, this once-mighty Maya city rivaled Chichen Itza, with an estimated 50,000 people living here at its height.
Much of the site remains unexcavated, adding to its mystery. But two colossal pyramids have been uncovered – Structure I (130 feet tall) and Structure II, the “Great Pyramid,” soaring 150 feet and the tallest in the Yucatan.
Best of all, you can climb them!
Getting here takes effort – many visitors overnight in Xpujil or Chicanna. Or you can join a Calakmul day tour from Campeche.
But the payoff? A UNESCO-listed ruin where you’ll likely see more howler and spider monkeys than tourists. (Calakmul barely receives more than a couple of dozen visitors a day.)
9) Mayapan ruins
Close to Merida, Mayapan was the last great Mayan city before the Spanish arrived – and, along with Chichen Itza (#1) and Uxmal (#5), it’s ranked among the most important pre-Columbian sites in the Yucatan.
The walled city once held some 4,000 structures, though only a fraction have been excavated.
Its main pyramid, the 50-foot Castle of Kukulcan, is a scaled-down version of Chichen Itza’s famous temple. You’ll also spot a rare circular building, the Observatory.
Compact and easy to explore, Mayapan has a big bonus: you can still climb its pyramids and other ruins. It’s a fascinating day trip from Merida, with far fewer crowds than Chichen Itza.
Final words on visiting the Yucatan Peninsula’s Mayan ruins
For the most enjoyable experience, plan your visit early – before the sun gets baking hot.
Slather on sunscreen, wear a sunhat and carry a small backpack with bottled water. And don’t wear flip-flops; running shoes or comfortable walking sandals are best for navigating uneven stone paths and temple steps.
Keep in mind that Mexican residents get free entry on Sundays, which means the sites can be extra busy. We suggest you choose another day if you prefer fewer crowds.
Now go and enjoy. Whether you’re in Cancun or the Riviera Maya, no trip is complete without exploring at least one of these monumental Mayan ruins. They’ll leave you speechless, really!
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Photo credits: 11, 12, 17 © Janice and George Mucalov, SandInMySuitcase | 24, 25, 27 Museo Maya de Cancun
About the authors
My dad is 80 years old and although very active he does get tired. Would you recommend the Tulum tour for him?
How much walking will he actually have to do. Does he have the option of going directly to the beach or does he have to go through the ruins to get to the beach? And is the only way down to the beach via stairs?
Hi Yadira,
Your dad would love the Tulum ruins…
There is a little bit of walking involved, although it is level and flat. (Be sure to take some water and wear a hat for sun protection.)
Unfortunately, we believe the only way to get to the beach is going down the stairs, so perhaps it would be better if you all cool off with a swim back at your resort afterwards? :-)
I climbed the pyramid at Chichen Itza many years ago – and remember it was even more challenging to climb back down. (But then I was wearing silly shoes.) Glad they’re making an effort to better preserve these remarkable monuments.
You’ve taken some really beautiful photos here.
You’re right – the steps are so narrow, that you couldn’t just walk down. Side-stepping was the way to go. Looking back, it was actually quite precarious, and people were injured (believe one tourist fell and died). Safety is probably another reason for roping off these monuments.
Oh how I love an underground river! It’s getting very cold here in Germany. A trip to sunny Mexico sounds fantastic!
The Xcaret river is quite unique. It was pouring rain when we went, so it was the perfect thing to do on a rainy day. We were getting wet anyway!
We’ve been to Mexico once and visited Coba. We loved it and climbed up to the top of the pyramid and were rewarded with amazing views. We’d love to return to check out Chichen Itza, although we heard that you can no longer climb to the top of it. Xcaret also sounds like a must-see! :)
When we visited Chichen Itza several years ago, tourists were still able to climb the pyramid. But the effects of thousands of tourists climbing the pyramids has taken its toll. It’s good you managed to climb the pyramid in Coba! There’s talk that within a few years, probably all the Mayan pyramids will be closed to the public for climbing.
I can’t believe I still haven’t made it to South America… it’s been on the list forever and seeing this is making me slap myself for not having gone already.
But thank you for the inspiration… nothing like a little jealousy to kick the dream into action :)
Well, you can see these Mayan sites in Mexico (a little closer to home, if you’re in the U.S.) than South America :-).
We had a great time at XCaret! The cave snorkeling was really fun, especially as it was my first time snorkeling ever! Hope next time we can see more of the ruins though, we missed on that part.
Thanks for the list!
It’s hard to see everything in one visit. Tulum is easier to visit than Chichen Itza and doesn’t require as much stamina. But it’s worth ditching the beach chair for a bit to explore one of the Mayan sites.