Mexico City, Mexico

Ancient sites near Mexico City

1 archaeological and heritage site within 800 km of Mexico City, closest first. Distances are straight-line (“as the crow flies”); road journeys are longer.

  1. 42km
    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

  2. 1,112km
    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

  3. 2,173km
    Mesa Verde

    United States · c. 600–1300 CE · UNESCO

    Stone cliff dwellings like Cliff Palace, tucked under sandstone overhangs in Colorado.

    Nearest town: Cortez

  4. 4,649km
    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)

  5. 5,291km
    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

  6. 8,487km
    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 Mexico City

What is the closest ancient site to Mexico City?

Teotihuacan in Mexico is about 42 km from Mexico City in a straight line; the nearest town is Mexico City.

Which ancient sites can I visit on a day trip from Mexico City?

Teotihuacan (about 42 km) are within roughly 150 km.

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