Zona Arqueologica El Meco
Zona Arqueologica El Meco
Zona Arqueologica El Meco
4.5
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
279 reviews
Excellent
166
Very good
84
Average
24
Poor
2
Terrible
3
Rachel080
Edmonton, Canada15 contributions
Mar 2020 • Family
A must see if you’re in the area! Only $55 pesos for an adult and kids were free. Beautiful grounds with big trees and ruins were in great shape. Nice mix of sunny spots and tree cover for hot days. Was very glad we went! It was a great way to show my kids the archeological ruins at an affordable price as they were done looking around after an hour. Lol.
Written 2 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BackfromVacay
Toronto, Canada188 contributions
Dec 2022
Zona Arqueologica El Meco is about 30 mins walk from the Garza Blanca resort. The entrance fee was around 80 Mexican pesos (4 USD). The ruins are small but authentic and well preserved. The lady at the office was proud to show us an inscription that was found originally at this site which is now included in the Mexican highly recognized museums. This little touch of history is located in somewhat marshlands in the middle of wild, with the sea just walking distance. But it’s a greatly kept spot. We didn’t see anyone else but our party of 5 guests and our two guides. Lots of historical,significance and lots of iguanas which are relaxing on the stones everywhere.
Written 26 December 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tomáš Š
Prague, Czech Republic30 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
These Mayen ruins are not that famous as Chichen Itzá, however you will not regret to come to see that.
Just save an hour of your time and you will be nicely surprised. The entrance fee is only 55 Mexican pesos (2,50 USD). The ruins are well preserved, located in a middle of wild but greatly kept nature. We met just a few people there and lots of iguanas which are relaxing on the stones everywhere.
Very friendly staff as well.
Just save an hour of your time and you will be nicely surprised. The entrance fee is only 55 Mexican pesos (2,50 USD). The ruins are well preserved, located in a middle of wild but greatly kept nature. We met just a few people there and lots of iguanas which are relaxing on the stones everywhere.
Very friendly staff as well.
Written 11 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark S
Kelowna, Canada36 contributions
Feb 2020 • Couples
Very cool to see and the person at the entrance was very friendly and made us welcome. They are just off the side of the road and we walked down there from the Punta Sam ferry area without much of a problem other than some sore feet. The iguanas are allowed to climb on the ruins but humans are not.
Well worth the visit. At this time is was 55 pesos a person.
Well worth the visit. At this time is was 55 pesos a person.
Written 14 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
funny_mummy
Perth, UK55 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
A lovely historic and cultural site, easy to get to from Cancún. Compact but impressive ruins and a few info boards with English translations help with understanding. Nice shady spots under trees and lots of iguanas to add more interest for the kids!
A friendly guy on site gave us a warm welcome and taught us some Mayan! Entry was cheap and it felt like a worthwhile visit.
A friendly guy on site gave us a warm welcome and taught us some Mayan! Entry was cheap and it felt like a worthwhile visit.
Written 21 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John46H
Solihull, UK159 contributions
Jan 2020
I certainly enjoyed my visit to El Meco. Just two other people there when I arrived and only two more came. Such a surpise that so few people were at this nice site.
No it is not as grand a site as Tulum or Chichen Itza, but I think it has more ruins than San Miguelito (next to Maya Museum in hotel zone). I spent a reflective hour there having walked about 5 miles from my hotel. The central ruin is a pyramid but with plenty of other ruins surrounding it. You also get a fair few iguanas keeping an eye on you!!!
It’s not an expensive admission (55 pesos).
No it is not as grand a site as Tulum or Chichen Itza, but I think it has more ruins than San Miguelito (next to Maya Museum in hotel zone). I spent a reflective hour there having walked about 5 miles from my hotel. The central ruin is a pyramid but with plenty of other ruins surrounding it. You also get a fair few iguanas keeping an eye on you!!!
It’s not an expensive admission (55 pesos).
Written 5 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yukonbelle
Los Angeles, CA32 contributions
Sept 2010 • Couples
We visited El Meco along with another couple. This ruin site is located just north of Cancun city, and near the waterfront. It has only been open to the public for a few years. The site is small and takes only about 20 minutes to view. The grounds are well maintained and the structures are fairly complete. There are many shade trees on the property, but still be sure to wear a hat, apply sun screen, and most importantly, use insect repellent. An early morning visit is recommended. El Meco is certainly worth a visit, especially if you don't want to spend an entire day traveling to sites that require several hours of travel in each direction. This way you get a small taste of the Mayan culture and still have plenty of beach time.
Written 13 June 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mare723
St. Louis73 contributions
We were in Cancun during 12/18-12/25 and we were heading towards Punta Sam to see if we could take the larger ferry and bring the rental car with us. Well, long story short, it was far more expensive than we realized and so we decided to check out the archeological ruins we saw on the way up here.
This was a charming small ruins, but well worth the time to stroll and check out the ruins without the crowds. We met the man who was selling tickets and he seemed so happy to have people visit the site. He asked us how we found out about El Meco and we told him that we kind of just stumbled upon it. He was delighted to hear about it and told us that the ruins don't attract as many tourists as the ones in El Rey. The cost was 35 pesos, they had a small parking area, very clean restrooms and plenty of shaded seating areas around the ruins. We saw tons of iguanas and the terrain was easy enough for my senior parents to roam around without problems.
The ruins here are very weathered but are still impressive that they've lasted this long. It's surprising how even though you really aren't that far away from the hustle and bustle of the ferry and Cancun, this place feels like it is remote--in a tranquil way. While there, another small group of people came to visit the ruins. For the most part we practically had the entire place to ourselves.
According to the faded sign at the entrance, El Meco itself was a small self sufficient fishing village (300-600AD.) El Meco measures 650 m long along its north south axis, while its east west axis extends to 200 m. The principle structure here is the tallest (12.5 m high) of Quintana Roo's northern coast.
Eventhough it is a small site it is definitely worth the time to explore. We've been to other larger ruins in the past: Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan, Ek Balam, and Tulum. Since the ruins here aren't crowded, they are great to take your time, take as many photos as you'd like without being bumped into by others trying to take the same shot as you. My parents loved that there were plenty of shady places to sit and really take in the ruins. We were very glad to have stumbled upon them!
This was a charming small ruins, but well worth the time to stroll and check out the ruins without the crowds. We met the man who was selling tickets and he seemed so happy to have people visit the site. He asked us how we found out about El Meco and we told him that we kind of just stumbled upon it. He was delighted to hear about it and told us that the ruins don't attract as many tourists as the ones in El Rey. The cost was 35 pesos, they had a small parking area, very clean restrooms and plenty of shaded seating areas around the ruins. We saw tons of iguanas and the terrain was easy enough for my senior parents to roam around without problems.
The ruins here are very weathered but are still impressive that they've lasted this long. It's surprising how even though you really aren't that far away from the hustle and bustle of the ferry and Cancun, this place feels like it is remote--in a tranquil way. While there, another small group of people came to visit the ruins. For the most part we practically had the entire place to ourselves.
According to the faded sign at the entrance, El Meco itself was a small self sufficient fishing village (300-600AD.) El Meco measures 650 m long along its north south axis, while its east west axis extends to 200 m. The principle structure here is the tallest (12.5 m high) of Quintana Roo's northern coast.
Eventhough it is a small site it is definitely worth the time to explore. We've been to other larger ruins in the past: Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan, Ek Balam, and Tulum. Since the ruins here aren't crowded, they are great to take your time, take as many photos as you'd like without being bumped into by others trying to take the same shot as you. My parents loved that there were plenty of shady places to sit and really take in the ruins. We were very glad to have stumbled upon them!
Written 29 December 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jo P
Chard, England, United Kingdom85 contributions
Aug 2012 • Family
Our visit to the El Meco ruins was one of the highlights of our holiday to Cancun. We had been to Chichen Itza on a previous holiday and, although we loved learning about the heritage of the Mayan people, we found it to be very commercialised and it takes so long to get there.
The El Meco ruins are completely different. Although much smaller we found that we spent as much time there as we had at Chichen Itza taking photos and just enjoying the quiet. The pyramid there is much smaller but the renovations have allowed a much more natural setting. There are trees and roots growing over a lot of the ruins, which I think adds to their interest. So much thought has been given to the placement of benches which are all in the shade of the trees but placed opposite a main focal object.
The ruins have become like a nature reserve with so much natural flora and fauna. There are hundreds of iguanas and we enjoyed just sitting and watching the birds. I was over the moon when we came across a tiny red hummingbird.
The best part of the visit was that we were the only people there and had the whole place to ourselves for our entire stay (approx 2 1/2 hours). The only other people were the ticket office assistant and the caretaker. For 42 pesos each this was a fantastic day.
Hats, sunscreen, jungle formula insect repellant and bottled water are a must as there is no shop there.
Getting there is quite straightforward once you know where to catch the colectivo. Catch the R1 bus and get off just past the roundabout opposite the bus station. Walk a couple of hundred feet past the bus station, which you should see on the opposite side of the road. You can catch the colectivo (small white mini bus) any where along this stretch. It is the one marked Puerto Jaurez (or P Juarez), Punta Sam and Crucero. It costs 6pesos per person. Once on the colectivo ask for El Meco. Stay on the van for a mile or so beyond Puerto Juarez. If your Spanish is not good the driver may seem a little confused when you stay on the bus after Puerto Juarez but tell them "Zona Arqueological El Meco". We got there with no problem, On the way back we flagged the colectivo down right outside the ruins and stayed on it until Av Tulum, then caught the R1 bus back to the hotel zone.
Colectivos are so much fun and we often ended up squashed in with 15 other people sat on each others laps. It really feels like a true Mexican experience and those are sometimes hard to come by in Cancun. They run regularly from Downtown to Puerto Juarez for the Isla Mujeres ferry too.
The El Meco ruins are completely different. Although much smaller we found that we spent as much time there as we had at Chichen Itza taking photos and just enjoying the quiet. The pyramid there is much smaller but the renovations have allowed a much more natural setting. There are trees and roots growing over a lot of the ruins, which I think adds to their interest. So much thought has been given to the placement of benches which are all in the shade of the trees but placed opposite a main focal object.
The ruins have become like a nature reserve with so much natural flora and fauna. There are hundreds of iguanas and we enjoyed just sitting and watching the birds. I was over the moon when we came across a tiny red hummingbird.
The best part of the visit was that we were the only people there and had the whole place to ourselves for our entire stay (approx 2 1/2 hours). The only other people were the ticket office assistant and the caretaker. For 42 pesos each this was a fantastic day.
Hats, sunscreen, jungle formula insect repellant and bottled water are a must as there is no shop there.
Getting there is quite straightforward once you know where to catch the colectivo. Catch the R1 bus and get off just past the roundabout opposite the bus station. Walk a couple of hundred feet past the bus station, which you should see on the opposite side of the road. You can catch the colectivo (small white mini bus) any where along this stretch. It is the one marked Puerto Jaurez (or P Juarez), Punta Sam and Crucero. It costs 6pesos per person. Once on the colectivo ask for El Meco. Stay on the van for a mile or so beyond Puerto Juarez. If your Spanish is not good the driver may seem a little confused when you stay on the bus after Puerto Juarez but tell them "Zona Arqueological El Meco". We got there with no problem, On the way back we flagged the colectivo down right outside the ruins and stayed on it until Av Tulum, then caught the R1 bus back to the hotel zone.
Colectivos are so much fun and we often ended up squashed in with 15 other people sat on each others laps. It really feels like a true Mexican experience and those are sometimes hard to come by in Cancun. They run regularly from Downtown to Puerto Juarez for the Isla Mujeres ferry too.
Written 7 October 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RobertBacon
Marshfield, MA9 contributions
Feb 2011
My wife and I have been exploring and vacationing in the Yucatan Peninsula for more than twenty five years. Many times we have been with in one mile of El Meco but we never knew that it was there. We drove by it on a cab ride last year and decided that while on Isla Mujeres the following year that we would day trip across the bay and explore it. El Meco is between Puerto Juarez and Punta Sam. If you go by taxi the driver will wait for you while you tour but always ask how much before you get in the taxi. This is how this whole area along the sea must have looked before the building of Cancun in 1970. It is like walking into the Isabelle Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston after walking Mass. Ave. There are 14 structures. The surrounding landscape is full of trees just like the famous ruins of Palenque. It is lush. It is fairly naturally shaded unlike the bigger better known ruins such as Uxmal or Tulum. We were the only tourista's there and the reception man was very glad to see us and thanked us profusely for coming. It cost 40 pesos or $4.00 US each. If you have never seen a Mayan ruin this would be a great place to start.
Written 17 February 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Does anyone know if this site is still closed?
Written 18 February 2022
¿Saben si estará la zona abierta al público este fin de semana 25 julio derivado de la contingencia?
Written 21 July 2020
What would the taxi fare be from Puerto Juarez ferry to El Meco?
Written 13 January 2020
No more then 50 peso's depending your status and the midset of the taxi driver.
Written 17 January 2020
Does anyone know if El Meco Ruins are open on Sundays?
Written 20 June 2018
Yes it’s open 7 days a week. I think the hours are 8:00-4:30pm. Nice little site.
Written 21 June 2018
I was told this site is not far from the Excellence Playa Mujeres resort - is that correct? If not, how would we get there - I'm assuming a taxi?
Written 22 April 2016
While my family and I visited in April of 2019 I researched the safest and least stressful way for us to get around Cancun. I used USA Transfers company and booked a private private ride time in one of their vans with a driver. He picked us up from our resort and took us to the ruins here and waited on premises for us. He also took us wherever else we wanted to go to within our time frame that we had booked with him.
You are able to take a taxi here, but I preferred the comfort of a well known/well reviewed business.
Written 21 July 2019
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