Calakmul

Information

It is an archaeological zone located in the biosphere reserve of the same name. It is one of the most amazing in all of Mexico, both for the quantity and size of its structures, as well as for the natural environment that surrounds it.

To enter the area you have to pay a ticket (you have to pay another two tickets beforehand on the access route). By the entrance to the ruins there is a car park, restrooms and a place with tables and chairs for picnics.

Calakmul was a very powerful Mayan centre, rival of Tikal against whom it had many battles. It had its heyday between 200 AD and 1000 AD. There are remains of constructions in an enormous extension, of which only a part is open to tourism.

The archaeological area is vast, there is a lot to walk and see. There are 3 routes to follow: the long, the medium and the short one. With the long tour you can see all the structures of the site, both the larger and smaller ones, and it lasts at least 4 hours.

There are several groups of structures. One is the Grand Acropolis, which is a maze of residences. A significant group is the Central Plaza, where there are two huge buildings: Structure VII and Structure II. Structure II is what is known as the Gran Pirámide (Grand Pyramid), which at 55 metres is the tallest in the entire Yucatán peninsula. From the top of Structure VII you can take spectacular pictures of Structure II, and vice versa. From II, if you walk 300 metres, you can reach the enormous structure I, which is the second most important of these ruins. You can also see many stelae, which are large stones sculpted by the Mayas where they recorded events.

Another attraction of the site is the observation of wildlife, such as Yucatán black howler monkeys that frequent the trees of the Central Plaza.