Mexico is an extremely popular travel destination for many Americans – and for good reason. The culture, food and beautiful beaches are hard to beat! It’s also just a short plane ride away! Visiting Chichen Itza and Tulum are some of the best things to do in Mexico!

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Whether you are vacationing in Merida, Cancun or Cozumel, make sure to set aside a day or two to visit some of the Mayan ruins within Mexico. These excursions were the highlight of our trip!

This blog post will give you a brief description of each site and also includes some helpful information for your visit!

As always, make sure to check the official websites for each location for the most up-to date information!

Chichen Itza

A trip to the Yucatan Peninsula wouldn’t be complete without a trip to Chichen Itza, which is both a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World! This amazing city was built between 750 and 1200 A.D.. These well preserved ruins spanning more than 740 acres were once home to 70,000 Mayan and Toltec inhabitants in this thriving city.

It is thought that the ancient city was built in this location due to the large cenote within its grounds. Not only did this provide a source of fresh water, it also served as a gateway to the underworld, allowing sacrifices to be made to Chaac – the Mayan Rain God. During its excavation in the early 1900’s, researchers discovered gold, jade, copper and human remains.

Chichen Itza was once the center of Mayan politics and economy but was abandoned by its inhabitants. There is no known reason as to why this city was left to be enveloped by the jungle but it is thought that drought may have been the cause.

The Temple of Kukulkan

The structure that most people imagine when hearing about Chichen Itza is the Temple of Kukulkan (El Castillo), the feathered Serpent God of the Mayans. This pyramid shaped temple is the perfect example of how advanced the Mayan people were in understanding astronomy.

The pyramid has 365 steps – one for each day of the solar year. Each of the four sides has 91 steps leading up to the temple at the top which is the final step. This temple was used as a sacrificial platform, allowing priests to be closer to the Gods when making their offerings.

The Equinox

As the sun sets during the spring and autumn equinoxes, the sun hits the pyramid in a way that causes the shadow of a snake to appear to be slithering down the pyramid to join the serpent head that is built into the base of the pyramid.

During this phenomenon, Kukulkan comes from the heavens, blesses those on earth and then makes his way to the underworld.

Excavation has revealed a smaller pyramid within the larger one. This interior pyramid contains human remains and a jaguar throne studded with jade. Through the use of imaging, archaeologists also believe that El Castillo was built over a cenote.

This discovery furthers the belief that El Castillo was of extreme importance to the Mayans. It served as middle point, connecting the Gods in the heavens (platform in the sky) to the underworld (cenote underneath the pyramid).

The Great Ball Court

The Great Ball Court, the largest in Mesoamerica, is 545 feet long and 225 feet in width. During the game, players would attempt to hit a 12 pound rubber ball through one of the stone hoops.

The walls are decorated with scenes of the sacrifice of the players. Not only were the losers put to death, some carvings also suggest that the winning teams’ captain was also decapitated as a sign of honor.

Watch what you say when walking around this structure, a whisper can be heard from one end to the other.

Other notable structures include the Caracol (an astronomical observatory), the Temple of Warriors, the Group of a Thousand Columns, El Mercado, and the Wall of Skulls.

Visiting Chichen Itza

Chichen Itza is open 365 days a year from 8am-5pm. The cost to enter is approximately 480 pesos or $25 per person. Children 12 and under are free. A tour guide will cost extra but can be booked at the entrance should you decide on a guided visit!

You will find many bus tours from Cancun (2 1/2 hour drive) or Merida (1 1/2 hour drive). Most of the tours will also take you to the neaby cenote, Ik Kil, for a swim after visiting the ruins.

Staying into the evening will allow you to see the light show that takes place each night. The park reopens each evening for the light show (7pm in the winter and 8pm in the summer). A separate entrance fee is required and will allow you 45 minutes to walk around the site followed by the light show which recreates the history of the Mayans at Chichen Itza.

You should plan on spending around 3 hours walking around and viewing all of the ruins.

Tulum

While Chichen Itza is loved for its well maintained structures, Tulum is loved by so many for the gorgeous setting it inhabits! Tulum was built as a Mayan seaport for trading turquoise, jade and other goods.

The picturesque building here (known as El Castillo) was once used as a lighthouse, guiding ships into the port. The shrine at the top of the structure is in line with a break in the barrier reef directly opposite it, along with a beach cove. Trading ships would need to enter in this exact location to avoid destroying their ships.

Tulum was built to be a fortress which is why you’ll notice it is enclosed on all four sides! The Caribbean Sea protects the city on the east and the other three sides are enclosed by a tall limestone wall. Only nobility and priests lived within the walls of this ancient city.

Not only was Tulum built for trade, it also acted as a school of astronomy. The Temple of the Frescoes was built as an observatory to track the movements of the sun.

Tulum fell victim to disease, brought by the Spaniards, and was abandoned by the end of the 16th century.

Visiting Tulum

The Tulum ruins are open seven days a week from 8am-5pm. Entrance fee is about 65 pesos or $4.

You should plan on spending anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours exploring the ruins. This will mostly depend on if you plan on spending time at the beach.

The drive from Cancun to Tulum is around 1 hour and 45 minutes. Due to the long travel time, most visitors will also visit the Coba ruins or Xel-Ha Park in the same day.

Helpful Tips For Visiting Both Locations

1. Arrive before the entrance opens – both locations open at 8am. Not only will this help avoid the mid-day temperatures, it will also allow you some time to explore the ruins and take pictures before the many tour buses arrive. Although driving would be ideal for avoiding the crowds, we felt more comfortable being with a tour group during our trips. Because of this, we were within the large groups arriving at the ruins but we still made it work.

2. The weather will be quite hot and humid. Bring a swimsuit, towel, water and sunscreen. Make sure to dress in light, comfortable clothing and wear walking shoes.

3. Skip the guided tour. Although informative, the large groups will cause you to have to do a lot of waiting and you’ll want to have the time and space to explore on your own. Purchase a pocket guide before you arrive or download an app that gives a walking tour so you are free to explore at your own pace and away from large groups.

For another great Central America vacation, check out my post Experience the Rainforest and Culture in Panama!

4. Bring pesos. More often than not, the credit card machines are not working at either location. Typically, pesos are the only accepted form of currency for entrance fees. Should you decide that you would like to purchase goods from a vendor but you do not have any pesos, you will pay a hefty fee to have your money exchanged on location.

5. Mexican citizens do not pay entrance fees to either Chichen Itza or Tulum on Sundays. Please note that this will cause the crowds to be even larger.

6. Both Chichen Itza and Tulum are laden with vendors selling over priced goods. While we didn’t purchase any souvenirs here, we overpaid for a couple of ice cold Coronas and it was worth every penny.

Check out the website Visit Mexico for more helpful information!

I hope this guide for visiting Chichen Itza and Tulum was helpful when planning your trip to these amazing places. Comment below and let me know your favorite ruins in Mexico!