The ruins of ancient Mayan cities are some of the only remnants left of one of the most advanced Mesoamerican civilizations. Known for their awe-inspiring architecture and ritualistic beliefs, there is still much about the ancient Mayans that history books don't tell us. While many details surrounding the ancient Mayans are mysterious, their abandoned cities contain physical clues that reveal how they lived.
Many ancient Mayan city ruins across Central America, including ones hidden deep in the jungle, are open to the public. Some sites even allow visitors to climb pyramids created thousands of years ago. Here are ten ancient Mayan cities you can visit today.
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10 Becán
A powerful ancient city with a fortified layout
Structure IV in the Ancient Mayan City of Becán, located in Campeche, Mexico
Founded in approximately 600 BC by migrants from El Mirador, Becán is an ancient Mayan city in the Campeche region of Mexico. Its people likely valued security, and its fortified layout reflects this theory.
Becán, which means moat in the Yucatec-Maya language, describes the city's impressive defensive moat and walls. Becán's architecture, which was mainly built using the Rio Bec style, features decorative stone facades and tall, non-functional towers emphasizing the city's status and power.
Becán was a powerful regional center that constructed multiple structures until the 9th century CE. However, construction began to decline shortly after, and the city was consequently abandoned by the 13th century.
Becán Ruins Opening Hours:
8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Becán Ruins Admission Fee:
80 pesos ($3.91)
9 Calakmul
A massive ancient city near the Guatemalan border
The ancient Mayan city of Calakmul
Calakmul, located in the dense forest of Mexico's Campeche region near the Guatemalan border, was established around 500 BC but reached its peak between 500 and 800 AD. The city was massive, covering 27 square miles with over 7,000 structures and a population of around 65,000 people.
Calakmul was the most powerful city in an alliance with its neighboring cities of El Mirador, Nakbé, and Uaxactún. Inscriptions and monuments reflect the conflicts the alliance had with neighboring cities to the south, most notably Tikal.
After being defeated in a war against Tikal in the 9th century, the city started to decline and was abandoned by the 10th century.
Calakmul Ruins Opening Hours:
8:00 am to 11:30 am
Calakmul Ruins Admission Fee:
95 Pesos ($4.65)
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8 Chichen Itza
One of the most well-known ancient Mayan cities with influences from different cultures
Ancient Mayan city of Chichen Itza, Mexico
Chichen Itza is one of the most well-known Mayan cities on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Established in approximately 400 AD, it became a major trading and political hub in Mesoamerica by 600 AD. The city also features various architectural styles, suggesting influences from different cultures, most notably the Toltecs, who invaded in 1000 AD.
Many details of the Mayan's life in Chichen Itza are unknown due to a lack of written records. However, archeologists believe that its people were ritualistic. Ceremonial practices were often held around Chichen Itza's pyramid, El Castillo, which was dedicated to the feathered serpent god, Kukulkan.
Additionally, the ancient Mayan Great Ball Court at Chichen Itza held ritual ball games, which symbolized good versus evil and were sometimes associated with human sacrifice to honor the gods.
The cause of Chichen Itza's decline is still debated, with some theories suggesting it was a combination of political problems, land scarcity, and drought. One notable event that was the catalyst of the city's decline was the formation of the Mayapán League in 987 AD, which included the cities of Uxmal, Mayapán, and Chichén Itzá.
Chichén Itzá controlled the league for the first few decades, but this caused conflict with the other cities, ultimately ending with Chichén Itzá retreating. By the end of the 13th century, the city was mostly abandoned, although it continued to serve as a pilgrimage site for later Maya groups.
Chichen Itza Ruins Opening Hours:
8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Chichen Itza Ruins Admission Fee:
614 Pesos ($30)
7 Cobá
An ancient Mayan city with the tallest pyramid on the Yucatán Peninsula
Tourists climb the Pyramid Nohoch Mul at the ruins of the Mayan city Coba, Mexico
Cobá is an ancient Mayan city located near five lakes in the Quintana Roo region of Mexico. Archeologists located evidence of human inhabitants in Cobá dating from 100 BC to 300 AD. However, its sacbeob, or white stone roads connecting to other Mayan cities, were built between 600 and 800 AD. These roads allowed the city to establish trade routes and control the surrounding region.
Cobá had a population as high as 50,000 at its peak. The city is home to 30 stelae, or monuments, with ancient Mayan hieroglyphics depicting its people's ceremonial culture. Nohoch Mu was the main pyramid used for rituals dedicated to Mayan gods. It stands 138 feet high, making it one of the tallest in the Yucatán.
While most Mayan cities began to decline in the 10th century, Cobá remained inhabited on and off through the Mesoamerican Post-Classic Period between 900 and 1519 AD. The city was ultimately abandoned in the 14th or 15th century.
Visitors to the Cobá Mayan ruins can actually climb the Nohoch Mu pyramid.
Cobá Ruins Opening Hours:
9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Cobá Ruins Admission Fee:
100 Pesos ($4.89)
6 Copán
An ancient city home to the longest hieroglyphic inscription in the Mayan world
Copan Mayan Ruins, Honduras
Copán is an ancient Mayan city located in the Copan Department of western Honduras. Diego García de Palacio, a researcher, discovered the city in 1570, but its ruins weren't excavated until the 19th century. Archeologists report finding evidence of ancient people in the area dating back to 1500 BC, but the first Mayans immigrated to the area in approximately 100 AD.
Like Cobá, Copán is known for its stelae depicting Mayan gods and rulers. The Temple of the Hieroglyphic Stairway, a 63-step stairway with over 1800 hieroglyphs, is the longest inscription in the Mayan world. The stairway was used to record the history of the city's rulers between the 5th and 8th centuries.
Copán experienced a rapid decline between 800 and 830 AD, most likely due to overpopulation and environmental factors. Resources became scarce, and the city couldn't sustain its people. By 900 AD, Copán had been completely abandoned.
Copán Ruins Opening Hours:
8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Copán Ruins Admission Fee:
497 Leimpra ($20)
5 Ek Balam
One of the most well-preserved ancient Mayan cities
Ek Balam Mayan Archeological Site in Temozón, Yucatan
Ek Balam, which means "Black Jaguar" in the Mayan language, was a city on the Yucatán Peninsula built in approximately 300 BC. During the Late Classic Period from 600 to 900 AD, Ek Balam was at its peak, excelling in stucco sculptures and architecture. The city was also a trading and ceremonial center, located strategically near trade routes.
The city was home to between 12 and 18 thousand people, with the elite living in the Acropolis. The Acropolis was a 102-foot-high structure featuring hieroglyphics of gods and past rulers. The structure also served as a tomb for Ukit Kan Le´t Tok, the first king of Ek Balam, who was buried with a collection of over 7,000 offerings, including ceramics, jade, and shells.
Ek Balam's structures remained well-preserved after it was gradually abandoned, giving visitors accurate depictions of what life was like in the ancient city.
Ek Balam Ruins Opening Hours:
8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Ek Balam Ruins Admission Fee:
95 Pesos ($4.65) entrance fee + 461 Pesos ($22.55) Yucatan Tax Agency fee
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4 El Mirador
A remote ancient city with one of the world's largest pyramids
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El Mirador was established around 1000 BC in northern Guatemala, which is now part of Mirador-Río Azul National Park. Although the El Mirador's location in the rain forest was relatively isolated, it thrived between 200 BC and 150 AD with over 200,000 inhabitants.
El Mirador's most famous structure is La Danta, one of the largest pyramids in the world at 236 feet tall. The structure is so huge that researchers estimated it took 15 million man-days of labor to build, with 12 men carrying each block.
After the third century BC, El Mirador began to fall, with its population declining until the city was abandoned entirely in the 9th century. Rediscovered in the 20th century, El Mirador is still a remote site that is challenging, but not impossible, to access. Visitors can reach El Mirador via helicopter or embark on a multi-day hike through the jungle with the help of a guide.
During the strenuous multi-day hike to El Mirador, you may encounter potentially dangerous wild animals, such as the venomous fer-de-lance snake, which is native to the area.
El Mirador Ruins Opening Hours:
N/A
El Mirador Ruins Admission Fee:
Guided hiking and helicopter tours vary in price depending on the company but can range from $300 to $600 per person.
3 Palenque
An ancient city known for its elegant architectural techniques
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Palenque, an ancient Mayan city located in modern-day Chiapas, Mexico, was in its prime from 500 to 700 AD. The inhabitants of Palenque were known for creating buildings with elegant and creative accents. For example, the city's constructions were smoothed with plaster instead of limestone.
The Temple of the Inscriptions is Palenque's most famous structure, holding the tomb of King Pakal the Great. This pyramid and other buildings were used for religious rituals and ceremonies to honor Palenque's leaders.
While the city was mostly abandoned by 900 AD, its ruins are well-preserved.
Palenque Ruins Opening Hours:
8:30 am to 5:00 pm
Palenque Ruins Admission Fee:
90 Pesos ($4.40)
2 Tikal
The largest known ancient Mayan city
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Tikal, known as the largest Mayan city, is located in modern-day Guatemala and is open to the public for visits. The city flourished between 200 and 900 AD because of its prime location and military power. Tikal also had large temples and plazas, making it a central hub for politics, trade, and religion.
Like many other ancient Mayan cities, the inhabitants of Tikal recorded their history on stelae. Their temples, like Temple I and Temple IV, were also used for rituals and ceremonies.
By the 9th century, Tikal started to decline, possibly due to environmental stress, resource depletion, and conflicts with neighboring cities. When Spanish explorers arrived, Tikal had already been abandoned and overgrown by vegetation from the rainforest.
Tikal Ruins Opening Hours:
6:00 am to 5:00 pm
Tikal Ruins Admission Fee:
150 Quetzal ($19.43)
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1 Tulum
Mayan ruins of Tulum, Cozumel, Mexico
Tulum was an ancient Mayan port city on the coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It was established in 1200 AD and was one of the last Mayan cities. The natural cliffside ocean barrier and protective walls fortified the city, setting it apart from other Mayan cities.
Due to its location along coastal routes, Tulum also had a bustling port. People often traded goods like turquoise, jade, obsidian, and many other textiles.
The city was in its prime in the 13th and 14th centuries, with buildings like the Temple of the Frescoes adorned with bright colors and carved murals depicting gods.
However, in 1518, Spanish conquistadors arrived to colonize Tulum. The city's population decreased due to disease and conflict. Tulum was eventually abandoned by the late 16th century with few inhabitants to protect its borders.
Today, visitors can explore the well-preserved Mayan ruins at Tulum while taking in picturesque views atop its seaside cliffs.
Tulum Ruins Opening Hours:
8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Tulum Ruins Admission Fee:
95 Pesos ($4.65) entrance fee + 60 Pesos ($2.93) Tulum National Park CONAP bracelet