10 Amazing Pyramids to Visit in Mexico

Pyramids. Photo by Gaurav D Lathiya on Unsplash

10 Amazing Pyramids to Visit in Mexico

Mexico’s pre-Columbian civilizations can be hard to keep straight, but they shared a few common traits. Most of their archaeological sites include ball courts, they considered corn an essential crop, and they all built pyramids.

Their handiwork can now be found throughout Mexico, offering a window into the country’s ancient past. Read on for everything you need to know about Mexico’s famous pyramids, including 10 of the most spectacular, culturally important ones in the country.

1. La Iglesia and El Castillo, Coba

Iglesia en Villarejo de Salvanés. Photo unattributed – Wikimedia Commons

The ancient Maya city of Coba, which peaked between 800 and 1100 C.E., is home to two impressive pyramids—the Iglesia and the Castillo (the second largest pyramid on the Yucatán peninsula). Half-ruined and covered in plants, both structures look as if they’ve recently been unearthed, creating a mysterious, almost magical atmosphere.

Coba is just over two hours by car from Cancun and 45 minutes from Tulum. If you’d rather not drive, many tour operators offer excursions.

2. Castillo de Kukulcán, Chichén Itzá

WNW Kukulcán pyramid side. Photo by Jaontiveros – Wikimedia Commons

The Castillo de Kukulcán, with its nine stepped platforms, is the centerpiece of Chichen Itza, a Maya city that flourished from around 700 to 900 C.E. The pyramid functioned as an enormous calendar and was designed so that, on the equinoxes, the play of sunlight and shadow would create the illusion of a snake descending to earth.

While visitors are no longer allowed to climb the steps or access the Temple of Kukulcán at the top of the pyramid, they can tour other ball courts, temples, and palaces throughout Chichén Itzá.

Given that it’s halfway between Cancún and Mérida, this UNESCO World Heritage site is often crowded with tourists and vendors. The plus is that you can experience Chichén Itzá as it was during its peak—a bustling city.

3. Pyramid of the Magician, Uxmal

Pyramid Of The Magician. . Photo by Hobie Caldwell – Wikimedia Commons

The Maya were never centralized in one capital, as were the Aztecs and the Toltecs. Instead, the civilization resembled ancient Greece, with competing, independent city-states that shared a language and religious beliefs even as they developed different styles of architecture and distinct characters.

The contrast between Chichén Itzá and Uxmal is impossible to miss. The structures at Uxmal, including the Pyramid of the Magician, were built in the Puuc style, with highly stylized motifs and a decorative richness not typical of other Maya cities.

A drive of about 70 minutes, on two well-maintained highways, will take you from modern Mérida to ancient Uxmal.

4. Pyramid of the Inscriptions, Palenque

Temple of the Inscriptions Palenque. Photo by Rob Young from the United Kingdom – Wikimedia Commons

The buildings at Palenque, in the state of Chiapas, are impressive less for their size than for the elegance of their design. The 89-foot-high Pyramid of the Inscriptions is topped by a temple with piers covered in Maya hieroglyphs—hence the “inscriptions” in its name. Archaeologists estimate that only 10 percent of Palenque has been excavated and other wonders are surely waiting to be unearthed.

With the opening of the Palenque airport in 2014, it’s become easy to visit this once remote site. Interjet offers twice-weekly flights (on Wednesdays and Saturdays) from Mexico City.

5. Great Pyramid of La Venta – Mexico

A pyramid. Photo by Nada Habashy on Unsplash

Located in the state of Tabasco, La Venta is home to Mexico’s oldest known pyramid, built around 900 B.C.E. The structure isn’t particularly tall at 100 feet and, since it was built of clay instead of stone, its original rectangular shape has been softened by the ages, making it appear more like a rounded hill.

Still, it’s fascinating to behold, as is the sophisticated urban planning of La Venta, which served as a forerunner to Teotihuacan, Tula, and other ancient capitals.

You have to work to visit La Venta. The site is located in a wet, humid corner of Mexico about 90 minutes by car from Villahermosa, which is already off the beaten path. Bring insect repellent.

6. Monte Albán Pyramids

The west side platform at the Monte Alban pyramid complex. Photo by nsaum75 – Wikimedia Commons

Situated along the Pacific, the state of Oaxaca was and still is, the center of the Zapotec people. Monte Albán served as the capital for more than a millennium, from around 500 B.C.E. to 800 C.E., and traded frequently with Teotihuacán—another Mesoamerican city with a similarly large ceremonial center.

Today, visitors can explore the site’s “truncated” pyramids, which look like raised platforms topped by temples, as well as several famous tombs and stone carvings.

Sitting five miles from the city center of Oaxaca, Monte Albán is easy to reach by bus or taxi.

7. Pyramid of the Niches, El Tajin

El Tajin, Pyramid of the Niches. Photo by Arian Zwegers from Brussels, Belgium – Wikimedia Commons 

In the state of Veracruz, El Tajin is one of the most important sites from the so-called epiclassic (or late classic) period, dating from around 900 C.E. The city’s residents were avid ballplayers—more than 60 ball courts have been excavated here.

 You’ll also see one of Mexico’s most unusual buildings, the Pyramid of the Niches. The relatively short pyramid, 59 feet high, consists of six platforms, each lined with carved niches that were most likely used to track the days of the year.

El Tajin is pretty remote, but if your travels take you to Veracruz, it’s a four-hour drive to the site.

8. Great Pyramid of Cholula – Egypt 

Great Pyramid Of Cholula. Photo by Octavio Alonso Maya – Wikimedia Commons

The largest pyramid in the world (in terms of volume) is not in Egypt, but outside the city of Puebla. Upon first glance, however, the Great Pyramid of Cholula looks like something else entirely, covered in vegetation and topped with a 16th-century church constructed by the Spanish.

 Visitors can access some of the restored sections of the pyramid, then explore the nearly five miles of tunnels excavated by archeologists throughout the surrounding ancient city.

Cholula is four miles outside of Puebla, which is famous for its colonial buildings, cuisine, and the recently opened International Museum of the Baroque.

9. Pyramid of the Sun and Pyramid of the Moon, Teotihuacán

  Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. Photo by Daniel Case – Wikimedia Commons 

The sprawling city of Teotihuacan is dominated by two massive pyramids.

Teotihuacán, which flourished from roughly 100 B.C.E. to 550 C.E., was one of the most influential cities in Mesoamerica, with a population of nearly 200,000 at its peak.

Dominated by the enormous Pyramid of the Sun, the Pyramid of the Moon, and a citadel, which sits along the 2.5-mile-long Avenue of the Dead, the site awed even the Aztecs, who wondered what vanished civilization could have created such a monumental city.

Located an hour north of Mexico City, Teotihuacán is a popular day trip (visit midweek for smaller crowds). Many tours stop en route at the Basilica of Guadalupe for a glimpse into another aspect of Mexican culture.

10. Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl, Tula

TulaSite. Fragment of a gravestone showing two warriors in procession originally on the Quetzalcoatl pyramid now at the Jorge R. Acosta museum at the Tula archeological site in Mexico. Photo by AlejandroLinaresGarcia – Wikimedia Commons

The Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl in Tula is topped with imposing statues of Toltec warriors.

The Toltecs stepped into the vacuum created by the fall of Teotihuacán, establishing their capital at Tula (or Tollan), which reached its peak between 950 and 1150 C.E.

The most impressive structure here is the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl, fronted by a colonnade and topped by imposing, 13-foot-tall statues of Toltec warriors, but you’ll also want to explore the vast ceremonial plaza, the palace, and the ball courts.