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Bucketlist Bri

Bucketlist Bri

Adventurous Slomad Travel

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9 Incredible Mayan Ruins in Mexico You Must Visit

Last Updated: March 14, 2023 · Mexico

The best Mayan ruins in Mexico are spread out across the south and eastern part of this incredibly diverse country, notably modern-day Chiapas and the entire Yucatan Peninsula, where the Mayas thrived for centuries.

If you’re not that familiar with the Mayas, they were – and are – a fascinating people who formed one of the most impressive and developed civilizations, with advanced knowledge and systems in writing, mathematics, astrology, art, architecture, and their famous 260-day Maya calendar (or Tzolk’in as it’s known in Yucatec Maya).

calakmul mayan ruins inside calakmul biosphere reserve

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As such, the Mayas were an advanced civilization all-around, with enormous independent city-states in which religion, power, and warfare played out in oft glorious but bloody ways.

The indigenous Mayas’ existence can be traced back as early as 2600 BC.

Since they lived in what today is known as southern Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and western Honduras, there are ancient Mayan archaeological sites spread out across thousands of miles.

And even though I’ve only seen a tiny sliver of those once-thriving cities, I do believe that some of the best Mayan ruin sites are in Mexico.

So without further ado…

Here are the most stunning and well-preserved Mayan ruins to visit in Mexico!

Table of Contents show
9 Best Mayan Ruins in Mexico
1. Calakmul Mayan Ruins (Campeche)
2. Tulum Ruins (Quintana Roo)
3. Chichen Itza (Yucatan)
4. Palenque (Chiapas)
5. Ek Balam (Yucatan)
6. Coba Mayan Ruins (Quintana Roo)
7. Uxmal Ruins via the Ruta Puuc (Yucatan)
8. Yaxchílan & Bonampak (Chiapas)
9. San Gervasio Mayan Ruins (Quintana Roo)

9 Best Mayan Ruins in Mexico

1. Calakmul Mayan Ruins (Campeche)

woman standing atop Calakmul Mayan ruins in Campeche, Mexico

Calakmul is a lost Mayan city in the jungle of Campeche, the southernmost state that forms part of the Yucatan Peninsula in eastern Mexico.

With its remote location in the dense jungle, towering pyramids, and mysterious – if not eerie – atmosphere, Calakmul has easily become one of my most favorite Mayan ruins in Mexico.

But despite being one of the most impressive Mayan ruins, there’s a reason it’s not so famous or popular as some of the other Mayan sites in Mexico.

That’s because it was only rediscovered after 500 years by an American explorer and botanist named Cyrus Lundell, who flew over the Campeche jungle and saw two interesting-looking mounds peeking out over the treetops in 1931. Lundell subsequently named the site Calakmul, meaning “Two Adjacent Mounds.”

However, it wasn’t until 60 years later, in 1993 that excavations began when Calakmul was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the secrets and importance of this incredible city slowly became known to us.

calakmul mayan ruin stairs
woman overlooking calakmul pyramid ruins

Turns out, Calakmul has the largest and tallest pyramid ever found in the Mayan world (and yes, it’s climbable!) and their most formidable rival was that of Tikal in neighboring northern Guatemala.

To this day, there are still dozens of mounds that you can actually see lying hidden below the earth as you explore the Calakmul grounds on foot. Just make sure to keep an eye out for spider monkeys and jaguars!

You can also climb up to the top of the main structures for epic panoramic views of the surrounding jungle.

If you are like me and crave adventure at every turn, you will be enamored with the Calakmul Mayan ruins. Click the link to learn how to visit this incredible ruins site!

2. Tulum Ruins (Quintana Roo)

el castillo mayan building inside tulum ruins
tulum mayan ruins building with stones and iguanas
El Castillo mayan ruins inside tulum national park
tulum beaches
tulum mayan ruins in the yucatan peninsula - temple of the god of winds

One of the best Mayan ruins in Mexico is none other than the Tulum ruins. Perched cliffside overlooking the turquoise blue Caribbean Sea, the Tulum ruins are a marvel to explore and see for yourself.

What’s more, the Tulum ruins are one of the most well-preserved Mayan ruin sites in the entire Yucatan Peninsula. Here, you can see the mesmerizing El Castillo, faint remnants of once brightly-colored murals, stele, temples, and more.

At the height of its time, the city, once known as the city of Zamá (meaning dawn or sunrise), was an important pillar in Mayan society as it served as both a thriving seaport for trading to other Mayan cities (such as Coba) and a source of astronomical tools and knowledge.

Make sure to include these amazing Mayan ruins in your Tulum itinerary!

3. Chichen Itza (Yucatan)

couple in front of Chichen Itza ruins in Mexico

Chichén Itzá is the most famous of the Mayan ruins in Mexico. If you’ve never been, it’s a must-visit whenever you are traveling around the Yucatan.

After all, Chichen Itza is iconic of Mexico and the Maya civilization and is considered one of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

However, unlike at Calakmul ruins, or some of the other Mayan ruins sites on this list, you won’t ever have the chance to wander in stillness and tranquility at Chichen Itza for it is always crawling with national and international tourists.

That’s why if you visit Chichen Itza in one day, you should start out early to beat the crowds.

Despite its popularity and somewhat craziness, seeing Chichen Itza in person is truly incredible. The immensity of the grounds and the temples just makes your mind travel back in time. How I wish I could glimpse for a moment into the past to see what it once looked like!

4. Palenque (Chiapas)

palenque maya ruins in chiapas
PC: Andrea Parola

The Palenque ruins are one of the best places to visit in Chiapas, Mexico. It is also, along with Chichen Itza and Tikal in Guatemala, one of the largest and most important of the Mayan cities.

To get there, you first need to drive or ride a bus for 5 hours from the pueblo mágico of San Cristobal de Las Casas in the chilly Chiapas highlands to reach the humid and tropical Lacandon jungle.

Once in Palenque, you can visit the ruins and the incredible temples that were once blanketed by a forest of overgrown mahogany, sapodilla, and cedar trees (1).

Inside one of its most prized temples – the Temple of Inscriptions – lies the tomb of the most famous ruler of Palenque known as Pacal The Great (K’inich Janaab Pakal).

A trip to Palenque also means exploring several magical waterfalls and their turquoise-blue pools ideal for jumping in on a hot day. You can find these locations along the route by adding Agua Azul, Misol-Ha, and Roberto Barrios waterfalls to your itinerary.

5. Ek Balam (Yucatan)

Ek Balam things to do near Valladolid

For a semi-off-the-beaten-track Mayan ruins site, head to the lost kingdom of Ek Balam (meaning “Black Jaguar” in Yucatec-Maya). These ruins are conveniently located just 1 hour from the more popular Chichen Itza.

Those who are willing to visit Ek Balam will be rewarded with fewer crowds, climbable pyramids, and an oh-so inviting cenote (Cenote Oxman) perfect for splashing in after a busy day of exploring ruins.

If that sounds good to you, don’t miss out on Ek Balam whenever you are traveling around the Yucatan. Seeing as it’s only a short drive away from Valladolid and Chichen Itza, there’s no excuse not to go!

6. Coba Mayan Ruins (Quintana Roo)

couple sitting atop coba pyramid @ coba mayan ruins
woman at coba mayan ruins pyramid

Cobá is an ancient Mayan city located just 45 minutes inland from Tulum. It is quickly becoming one of the more popular Mayan ruins in Mexico thanks to its climbable pyramid that gives an epic panoramic view of the surrounding jungle and its mystic forest grounds which can be explored by foot, bike, or tuk-tuk.

We love visiting Cobá on a day trip from Tulum thanks to the three underground cenotes near Coba that, combined, make for an all-day adventure.

There is also a bustling little town with markets, restaurants, and a lake, that you can enjoy at Coba as well. Plus, it’s easy to visit since it’s on the route between Tulum – Valladolid.

7. Uxmal Ruins via the Ruta Puuc (Yucatan)

uxmal mayan ruins
PC: ivstiv

Uxmal Mayan ruins is a famous site in Mexico located on the well-trodden Ruta Puuc (Puuc Route) which has become a well-trodden road trip route for anyone interested in ticking off dozens of lost Mayan ruins sites in the Yucatan off their bucket lists.

Uxmal may be one of the most popular sites along the Ruta Puuc, but there is also Labná, Xpalak and Sayil, and Kaba (in addition to the Loltún Caves). The best way to visit all these sites is by departing from Mérida, the capital of the Yucatan, and heading south down into the state of Campeche.

8. Yaxchílan & Bonampak (Chiapas)

yaxchilan mayan ruins in chiapas mexico
PC: Andrea Parola
bonampak painted murals
PC: arturogi

If you are truly looking for an adventurous time, then I know just the place! Yaxchílan and Bonampak are two stunning Mayan ruins sites in the southeastern part of Chiapas, Mexico, lost in the Lacandon jungle.

Yaxchílan is a lost maze of ruins. Getting there is an adventure in itself as you first have to drive to the Guatemalan border and then take a boat ride up the river splitting the two countries before arriving at a little inlet where the ruins lie dormant.

Bonampak is a little easier to get to (no hour-long boat ride necessary) and they offer equally mesmerizing ruins with the chance to observe up-close brightly-painted murals inside the temple walls.

You can visit both Mayan ruins sites either on day trips from Palenque or overnighters from San Cristobal or go on your own with this epic Chiapas road trip itinerary.

9. San Gervasio Mayan Ruins (Quintana Roo)

san gervasio mayan ruins in cozumel mexico

Last but not least on this list of best Mayan ruins in Mexico are the San Gervasio ruins located on the tropical island of Cozumel in the state of Quintana Roo. If you have never been to San Miguel de Cozumel, now is the time! This little island oozes adventure.

At the center of it all lies the once-thriving site of San Gervasio, where Mayans, particularly women, would visit the site on a sort of pilgrimage to ask for blessings and give offerings to Ixchel who was the Maya goddess of fertility, the moon, love, childbirth, medicine, and textiles.

Visiting the San Gervasio ruins is one of the best things to do in Cozumel if you appreciate history and culture and crave a sense of adventure.

Of course, there are MANY more Mayan ruins in Mexico to visit!

I didn’t include Teotihuacan on this list as that site was majorly led and governed by the Aztecs of Mesoamerica, whereas the Mayas really flourished in southeastern Mexico and in northern Central America. However, if you get the chance, you should definitely visit the Teotihuacan ruins as well.

I hope this guide to the best Mayan ruins in Mexico helps plan your visit to this magical country! Please feel free to drop any thoughts or questions in the comments below.

[su_box title=”Ready to explore more of Mexico?” box_color=”#d4b02f” radius=”2″]Having lived in Mexico for going on three years now, I’ve been able to put together quite a few travel guides and itineraries! Start here with my Ultimate Mexico Travel Guide or feel free to check out the articles below:

  • The Perfect Packing List for Mexico (+ Free Printable)
  • The Ultimate Digital Nomad Guide to Mexico
  • 50+ Best Places to Visit in Mexico
  • 21 Epic Things to Do in the Riviera Maya
  • 50 Unforgettable Things to Do in Riviera Nayarit

Before you go, make sure you protect your trip! SafetyWing is the digital nomad insurance I’ve been using since I began living and traveling around Mexico.[/su_box]

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By: Bri · In: Mexico

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Mexico with mummy pt. 1 🌵 Last November, Paul Mexico with mummy pt. 1 🌵 

Last November, Paul and I slow-traveled and lived for 6 months in La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur where we basked in the sunshine, dove with sea lions, and ate our weight in fish tacos 🌮 

(Peep my La Paz blog guides for all the juicy deets)🧃👀 

Some of you may remember La Paz is also where I started my Invisalign treatment earlier this year (update: my bottom teethies are nearly straight!!) so here we are six months later to pick up my second load of trays, but this time I brought mom along for the ride to show her around some of my favorite places😃 

Highlights from La Paz (except for the first)👇

💀 Face painting for Día de Muertos in Oaxaca
🌊 Playa Tecolote, one of the best beaches next to Balandra Bay
💡 When in La Paz
🍕 The BEST Naples pizza + burrata salad @ La Casa Madre 
🦋 New baby tats thanks to @tattooinknm
🌞 Sunset and sunken ships from the hurricane
💻 Snuck in a bit of blogging 
🍻 Beach beers!
♟️ My favorite little park in La Paz with a giant chessboard (Parque Piedras y Pájaros)
✈️ We got a plane to catch! La Paz > Oaxaca 

Being back in La Paz made me super nostalgic 🥲 
Revisiting a place after spending an extended amount of time there is always a strange feeling; you feel at home yet you're still a visitor, a tourist, with much to discover. You see people from the community you started to build, but before you know it you are packing your bag and saying goodbye again. I even had to go pick up some clothes we left in our last apartment 🙈

As bittersweet as it is, I'm so grateful for the "slomad" life. And also very grateful to be able to share some of the places close to my heart with my mom 🇬🇧 

I'm not sure exactly when I'll be in La Paz again (if not for my teeth, lol, which is not a bad place to "have to go back to" for that, right?) but I know that this wasn't my last visit 🥲 

#lapazmexico #bajacaliforniasur #mexico #mommydaughtertrip #golapaz #lapazbcs
Alone but not lonely is my new mantra 💛 I am s Alone but not lonely is my new mantra 💛

I am so proud of and grateful for the version of myself that solo travel has made me to step into... 🤗

10 years ago, even if I had already been living abroad, the thought of eating ALONE in a restaurant or taking myself out alone (not to mention traveling through different countries alone) just baffled me — literally, I didn’t understand what the attraction was to do such things alone! 
But now... OH MY GOODNESS 😱 total transformation. Now I’ve solo traveled abroad in Portugal, Japan, and Nepal and all three were like stepping stones to the next solo adventure 🥾 🧘‍♀️ 🏔️ 🥰 🏯

Please everyone go solo travel, if you can, and if you feel pulled to!! 

It’s such a powerful way to get to know yourself, step outside your comfort zone, and make connections! 

As much as I enjoy traveling with my partner, I just simply wouldn’t have had the same encounters or made the connections that I did on this trip and to think what I would have missed out on 🥲 ❤️

Because traveling alone literally forces you to *go out there* and in doing so, you realize just how capable you were of doing it all along! 🙏

#solotravel #solofemaletraveler #nepal #soloadventure #nepalnow #nepaltravel #nepaltourism
When you stay open and curious, pretty magical thi When you stay open and curious, pretty magical things can unfold 🥹 ✨ 

I’ve been harboring this story unsure as to HOW TO EVEN BEGIN to tell it, but the how is less important than the why. 

And this experience reminded me of my why ☺️ 

I live for this kind of magic in life, or rather, it’s this kind of magic that lights me up and makes me feel most alive — the adrenaline of an adventure and how a story unfolds right in front of me like a movie, one in which I’m not only the producer, director, graphic artist, etc but the screenwriter too. And perhaps most interestingly, the viewer as well. 

I’ve said this before, and recently too, but whenever I travel, I often let “the story” lead the way. And there’s always a story. Whether you think of it as scripting your own play, directing your own film, or authoring your own book, we get to be both the creators and the audience. And I think that’s pretty neat. 

For a long, long time, I’ve often kept those kinds of travel moments locked away in my journal — for my personal reflections only, unsure that they’d mean anything to anyone else. But what I’ve come home to lately, is that these stories are mine to tell and if they matter to me, then, well, that’s all that matters.

So here’s to sharing stories that matter, for the intrinsic value of the story itself, and for the meaningful seeds of inspiration and magic that take root in our hearts 🥰 ✌️ 

#solotravel #trekking #nepal #langtang #travelstories #travelblogger #travelstories #mindfultravel
Did you guess it? You’ve probably heard of trekk Did you guess it? You’ve probably heard of trekking routes in Annapurna, Everest, Manaslu, and Upper/Lower Mustang… but have you ever heard of Langtang? 

Langtang village inside Langtang National Park was tragically wiped out after a devastating landslide (caused by the 2015 earthquakes), but the village is rebuilding and tourism to the region is picking up! 

You will hike through the landslide area as well as the new village on this gorgeous Langtang Valley Trek. 

The trek takes 8 days roundtrip and goes from roughly 1400m up to 4980m, with the last village of Kyanjin Gompa resting at around 3900m. 

It’s one of the most BEAUTIFUL treks to do in Nepal! Plus, you don’t need to journey far to reach the starting point in Syabrubesi which is just 115km north of Kathmandu (however, it still takes around 7 hours by bus to get there!).

Save this to your Nepal adventure bucket list 🔖 and head to my blog for the free detailed guide to the trek! 

#nepal #langtang #trekking #himalayas
Guess where?! 😁 (hint in the 4th clip!) But al Guess where?! 😁 (hint in the 4th clip!) 
But also this shouldn’t come as a surprise! As a nomad, I’ve slow lived and based myself out of Mexico 5-6 times since 2018. 
Each time, going back feels like going home! 💛
And even though I was just there for a short period to show my mom around and celebrate Day of the Dead, I’m happy to be returning for a few months so I can fill back up my cup. 

The majority of 2023 has been a non-stop whirlwind which wasn’t my initial vision for this year, so this next move is about slowing down (even more), writing, and recharging ☀️ 🔋 

If you could move anywhere, where would you go? 

#digitalnomad #mexicotravel #oaxacamexico #slomad #slowtravel #slowliving
La Velada is such a special part of Día de Muerto La Velada is such a special part of Día de Muertos traditions to witness 🧡✨ 

On October 31st, we went to two local cemeteries (Panteón Xoxocotlán and Panteón Atzompa) where families labor away with love by decorating the graves with marigolds, candles, and their dead beloved’s favorite food, drinks, objects... you name it! 💛🪦

You’ll see families laughing, playing music, and drinking while some are embracing or visiting alone, quiet in their remembrance. Meanwhile, you can find typical street food outside the cemetery gates and bands/concerts and mariachis playing loudly in the background 🎺 

It’s festive, sentimental, and magical (and more), all in one 🥹❤️

If you have the wonderful opportunity to visit Oaxaca or any of the other places in Mexico where they celebrate next year, please make sure to be respectful! 🫶🏼

In Atzompa, the grave mounds are harder to see and you should take extra care with your steps and how you take photos (if you decide to). We were invited over by a family for mezcal and my friend also got to light candles for her father and share it with their family’s gravesite. 🕯️ It was a very special experience for all of us! Many many thanks and much love to everyone who made it so beautiful 🙏🌼🕯️💜

#diademuertos #dayofthedead #oaxaca #lavelada #atzompa #xoxocotlán #oaxacatravel #mexicotravel #oaxacadejuarez #cempasuchil #diademuertos2023
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