Ruins in Mexico

Discover 55 unusual ruins in Mexico.

Some of the many stone snake head sculptures.

Tlalnepantla, Mexico

Pyramids of Tenayuca

A barbarous band of serpents guard the bases of these Aztec temples.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Xaman-Há Ruins

Few of the many visitors to this resort town know of its hidden Maya ruins.

The slight outline of the military fort can be seen atop Punta Cometa.

Mexica Fort on Punta Cometa

Local lore claims this rocky cape hides a lost Aztec treasure.

Maya ruins can be seen in the background.

Mérida, Mexico

Cenote Xlacah

One of the few places where you can visit a cenote and Maya ruins at the same time.

Roofless basilica.

Cuilapam de Guerrero, Mexico

Ex-Monastery of Santiago Apóstol

This exquisite example of early colonial architecture remains unfinished almost 500 years after construction began.

Pyramid atop the Acropolis.

Chinkultic

The Acropolis of this little-visited Mayan archaeological site offers great views of Chiapas’s Lake District.

El Rey Ruins.

Cancún, Mexico

El Rey Ruins

A small collection of iguana-infested ruins hides amid Cancún's bustling hotel zone.

Chalcatzingo

Chalcatzingo, Mexico

Chalcatzingo

In the Valley of Morelos lies a mysterious Olmec site with signs of jaguar veneration.

Floor-to-ceiling paintings cover the room.

Bonampak, Mexico

Murals of Bonampak

Three small rooms in the jungle house the most elaborate and intact murals of the Mayan world.

The rabbit skull relief.

Palenque, Mexico

Rabbit Skull Relief

The enigmatic skull gazes out over the ruins of a once-great Mayan city.

A reintroduced scarlet macaw feeding on a leaf in Palenque.

Palenque, Mexico

Scarlet Macaws of Palenque

After becoming locally extinct, this esteemed avian now flies free in the forests around the ancient ruins.

Round pyramid at Calixtlahuaca.

Calixtlahuaca, Mexico

Calixtlahuaca

The striking and little-touristed ruins of an ancient city destroyed and rebuilt by the Aztecs.

The death mask of Mayan king Pakal the Great.

Mexico City, Mexico

Death Mask of Pakal the Great

The striking jade death mask of an ancient Maya king is displayed in a replica tomb in Mexico City.

Entrance to archeological site.

Mexico City, Mexico

Baths of Moctezuma

The ruins of the bathhouse used by the ill-fated last Aztec emperor still lie in Chapultepec Park.

View of the pyramid.

Tlalnepantla, Mexico

The Pyramid of Santa Cecilia Acatitlán

This partially reconstructed Aztec pyramid gives a glimpse of what its larger counterparts would have looked like.

The dancers.

Monte Albán, Mexico

Monte Albán

These sacred Mesoamerican ruins feature peculiar petroglyphs hidden in the stones.