Chichén Itzá hikes entrance fee yet again
Visiting Chichén Itzá just got a little more expensive, again.
This most recent entrance fee hike is already the second increase this year, bringing the total to 571 pesos, or 27 USD.
Taken together, this year’s increases now make the site 7% more expensive to visit than in 2021.
Though this may not sound like that much, visitors and especially tour agencies report feeling nickeled and dimed.
“We never know how much the increases are going to be before they happen, most of the time they just decide and the cost goes up from one day to another. It’s a few pesos here and a few pesos there, but when this is your job and you take thousands of people a year to the site it really adds up and makes planning trips in advance really complicated,” says tour guide, Sergio Solis.
In 2021, Chichén Itzá attracted well over one million visitors — making it once again Yucatán’s most popular tourist attraction.
But for the first time ever, Chichén Itzá also became the most visited archaeological site in all of Mexico, easily beating out Teotihuacan, near Mexico City. This is likely explained by Chichén Itzá’s proximity to Cancún and the Mayan Riviera.
Earlier: Beware of new Chichén Itzá hot air balloon scam
The price of admission to archaeological sites in Yucatán includes fees payable to Mexico’s Institute for History and Anthropology (INAH) as well as to Yucatán’s Ministry of Culture (Cultur).
By the time Chichén Itzá reached the height of its power in the 11th or 12th century, it was one of the most diverse cities in all of Mesoamerica. The ancient metropolis attracted migrants and merchants from across the region — a fact that is reflected in the city’s diverse architecture.
Some of the most famous structures at this world-famous site include the Pyramid of Kukulcán, the observatory, and the grand ballcourt — the largest of its kind in the entire world.
Several less-known archaeological sites in Yucatán, including Oxkintok and Labna, still remain closed to the public. The reason for this is that the INAH says that they don’t have adequate sanitary facilities or bathrooms.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht is a Mexican expedition/Canadian photographer and adventure leader. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds multimedia, philosophy, and translation degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada and Norway.
