Archaeological Sites in Mexico

Xochicalco is an exceptionally well-preserved example of a fortified political, religious and commercial center from the troubled period of 650 to 900 A.D. that followed the breakup of the great Mesoamerican states such as Teotihuacán, Monte Albán, Palenque and Tikal.

The Calakmul archaeological site in Campeche, Mexico, is both a World Heritage site and a Biosphere Reserve. The largest forest mass in Mexico and the second largest remnant forest left in Latin America is the heartland of the area where the Maya civilization reached its climax.

Paquimé, Casas Grandes played a key role in trade and cultural contacts between the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, and the more advanced civilizations of Mesoamerica. The archaeological zone is distinguished by its impressive buildings in earthen architecture.

The pre-Columbian city of El Tajín, located in the state of Veracruz, is a site of great significance for Mesoamerican archaeology as it is one of the best-preserved and most thoroughly excavated examples of a pre-Hispanic town from the time between the fall of Teotihuacan and the rise of the Aztec empire.

Inhabited over a period of 1,500 years by a succession of peoples; the terraces, dams, canals, pyramids and artificial mounds of Monte Albán are the symbols of a sacred topography. The nearby city of Oaxaca, which is built on a grid pattern, is an example of Spanish colonial town planning.

The archaeological site of Palenque, in the Mexican state of Chiapas, is one of the most outstanding Classic period sites of the Maya area. Palenque is an incomparable achievement of Mayan art and illustrates one of the most significant achievements of mankind in the American continent.

This sacred site was one of the greatest Mayan centers of the Yucatán Peninsula. The fusion of Mayan construction techniques with new elements from central Mexico makes Chichen-Itza one of the most important examples of the Mayan-Toltec civilization in Yucatán.

The holy city of Teotihuacán was built between the 1st and 7th centuries A.D. and is characterized by the vast size of its monuments. As one of the most powerful cultural centers in Mesoamerica, Teotihuacán extended its cultural and artistic influence throughout the region and even beyond.

The ruins of the ceremonial structures at Uxmal, located in southwestern Yucatán, represent the pinnacle of late Maya art and architecture in their design, layout and ornamentation. The complex of Uxmal admirably demonstrates the social and economic structure of late Maya society.

The cultural landscape of the Prehistoric Caves of Yagul and Mitla, in subtropical Oaxaca, demonstrates the link between man and nature that gave origin to the domestication of plants in North America, thus allowing the rise of Mesoamerican civilizations.