El Rey Archaeological Site: Mayan Ruins In The Heart of Cancun

Entrance To El Rey

In the heart of Cancun’s hotel zone, amid the hustle and bustle of the city, is a peaceful paradise known as El Rey.  El Rey is a small archaeological site of ancient Mayan ruins, tucked between Blvd. Kukulkan (the main road in the hotel zone) and the Hilton Cancun Golf Course.  Despite the proximity to the busy street, it is surprisingly quiet and tranquil inside the park.  Also, it’s not usually crowded.  In fact, aside from the iguanas (which are everywhere!), I had the entire place to myself for most of my visit.

One of the many iguanas you will encounter when you visit El Rey

While incredibly small, compared to well-known sites like Chichen Itza or Coba, El Rey is the most extensive site of Mayan ruins in Cancun’s hotel zone.  You can easily see the site, in it’s entirety, in 30-45 minutes, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth the trip.  The history of the Mayan civilization is fascinating, even if you are visiting a small site, like El Rey.

Dating back to the late post-Classic period (1200-1500A.D.), this settlement is comprised of 47 structures.  The economy of the village was primarily based on fishing, but archaeological excavations have uncovered items, such as jade and quartz beads, and obsidian stones, that indicate the Mayan people of El Rey had developed a commercial trade, based on the sea routes along the Caribbean coast.

There is a small pyramid on the premises (shown on the left side of the photo below) and guests are free to climb to the top.

A structure on the grounds of the El Rey site

One of several structures found at El Rey

From most areas of the park, you can see some of the hotels along Blvd. Kukulkan, off in the distance.  The contrast of the ruins, over 500 years old, with the sleek, modern hotels is incredible.  While climbing on the ruins, it’s hard to imagine life in this Mayan village…and even harder to imagine when you know the “real world” is just a few yards away…but a visit to El Rey is a great escape, nonetheless.

Old Meets New: Ancient Mayan ruins in the foreground & modern hotels in the background

The park is open daily, from 8:00am-5:00pm.  The price per adult is $37 Pesos (approximately $2.90 USD).

All photos by Susan R. Vincil