Cancún, Mexico
Ancient sites near Cancún
1 archaeological and heritage site within 800 km of Cancún, closest first. Distances are straight-line (“as the crow flies”); road journeys are longer.
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186km
Chichén Itzá
Mexico · c. 9th–12th c. CE · UNESCO
Home of El Castillo, the stepped pyramid where a serpent of shadow appears at the equinox.
Nearest town: Valladolid
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1,260km
Teotihuacan
Mexico · c. 1st–6th c. CE · UNESCO
One of the largest cities in the world in the first centuries CE, laid out along the Avenue of the Dead.
Nearest town: Mexico City
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2,742km
Mesa Verde
United States · c. 600–1300 CE · UNESCO
Stone cliff dwellings like Cliff Palace, tucked under sandstone overhangs in Colorado.
Nearest town: Cortez
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4,124km
Machu Picchu
Peru · c. 1450 CE · UNESCO
Precision stonework and terraces on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba river.
Nearest town: Aguas Calientes · Best time to visit: April – October (dry season)
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5,889km
Rapa Nui
Chile · moai c. 1250–1500 CE · UNESCO
Nearly a thousand stone figures carved by Polynesian settlers in the middle of the Pacific.
Nearest town: Hanga Roa
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7,635km
Skara Brae
United Kingdom · c. 3180–2500 BCE · UNESCO
Stone beds, dressers and hearths in Neolithic houses revealed by a storm in 1850.
Nearest town: Stromness
Day trips and distances from Cancún
What is the closest ancient site to Cancún?
Chichén Itzá in Mexico is about 186 km from Cancún in a straight line; the nearest town is Valladolid.