Did you know Cancun has archaeological sites? In fact, many visitors and locals believe that to see a pyramid you have to travel to the “Pueblo Mágico” of Valladolid to visit Chichén Itzá, or head to the city of Tulum to see the pyramids of Coba. But why travel that far when we have several pyramids so close by? Between the city of Cancun, Puerto Juárez, and Isla Mujeres, there are 5 archaeological sites—and today we’ll talk about one in particular: the El Meco Archaeological Site.
What Is El Meco?
El Meco is a small archaeological site located north of Cancun in Puerto Juárez, about seven kilometers from the junction between the Hotel Zone and downtown (Boulevard Kukulkán and Avenida Bonampak), on the road to Punta Sam.
It’s a small restored site from the Postclassic period, where you can see a large pyramid and the remains of what were once halls. And because it isn’t very well known, it’s a place where tranquility prevails—allowing various reptiles to live peacefully and in harmony with the site’s few visitors.
Very little is truly known about this small site; however, it is—or rather, it “was”—centered around a building known as “El Castillo,” the tallest in the region. From its summit you could enjoy a privileged view of Cancun Island and the surrounding areas, which likely gave it strategic importance in pre-Hispanic times.
Of course, that was many years ago, because today only ruins remain of what was once a place that, according to the latest studies, is linked to the ruins of the city of Tulum.
Admission Fee and Opening Hours
Visiting hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and the entrance fee is only 55 Mexican pesos per person.
How to Get to the El Meco Archaeological Site
The El Meco archaeological site is about 24.8 km from Cancun Airport and about 9.1 km from downtown Cancun. To get there, your first step is to head to Puerto Juárez. You can do this via a private transportation service to Puerto Juárez or by public transportation.
It’s really not difficult to get to Puerto Juárez from downtown Cancun—you can even bike there and take the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of this small fishing region in the Riviera Maya.
