Calakmul
Campeche
Calakmul is located in the 1,800,000 acre Calakmul Biosphere Reserve near the Guatemala border in Campeche. It was discovered in 1931 and means City of Two Adjacent Pyramids in the Maya language. It is thought to have been a city of 50,000 and so far more than 6,750 structures have been discovered. Here you will find the tallest pyramid found in Mexico as well as many estelas whose inscriptions tell events which happened during the fifteen hundred years the site was inhabited. Calakmul was named to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 2002.
To arrive to Calakmul, take highway 186 either from Escarcega, Campeche or Chetumal, Quintana Roo. Once you reach the entrance to the Calakmul Biosphere, the ruins can be found
60 kilometers from the main highway. The road, while in good condition, turns to a one lane curvy road, so allow a good hour and half to reach the entrance to the ruins. But well worth the drive as the ruins are stunning and unlike
Chichen Itza, you can still climb to the top of these ruins for an amazing view.
Check out
hotels in the area. If you'd like to stay
in a hotel close to the Biosphere, we suggest staying at the
Chicanna Ecovillage or
Debliz Hotel Xpujil. The town of Xpuhil is approximately
50 kms on the main highway to the entrance of the biosphere and
another 60 kms to the Calakmul ruins.
