Venice does it, and so does Machu Picchu. Why not Chichén Itzá? Mexico’s most famous destination welcomed 2.2 million visitors in 2024, establishing itself as the most visited archaeological site in the Americas and surpassing major global destinations including Machu Picchu, Petra, Stonehenge, and Ephesus. With visitor numbers approaching critical capacity levels, the site may…
Tourism officials brought YouTube superstar Jimmy Donaldson, better known as MrBeast, to Yucatán. And yes, he delivered a ton of media attention following his recent expedition to Mexico’s ancient Maya ruins. With that attention has come substantial backlash, from ordinary citizens all the way to the presidential palace. The May 10 video, “I Explored 2,000…
Weeks after a German tourist became the latest self-entitled visitor to sprint illegally up El Castillo’s ancient steps, INAH has implemented new distance rules at Chichén Itzá. The heritage agency is establishing a minimum viewing distance of 15 meters / 50 feet from the base of the site’s magnificent main pyramid. This increased buffer zone…
The long-running conflict over the Mayaland Hotel within the archaeological zone of Chichén Itzá has led to serious allegations of corruption, legal irregularities, and abuse of authority. The dispute began in 2020 when hotel owner, entrepreneur Fernando Barbachano Herrero, agreed to sell the Mayaland hotel to businessman Rodolfo Rosas Moya for nearly US$20 million. According…
Walking through Chichén Viejo’s arch, the splendor and scope of the site begins to come into focus
The Gran Museo de Chichén Itzá is now open and features artifacts dating from the earliest occupation of the city to its heights under the rule of the Itzá.
A first-hand account of a problem-plagued trip to Chichén Itzá.
Due to ongoing archaeological work at the site, Dzibilchaltún will not be admiting visitors for the spring exquinox.
The newly restored section of Chichén Itzá runs along roughly a half mile through a recently created path. And apparently, it’s still off-limits.
A previously off-limits area of Chichén Itzá is about to open to the public for the very first time.
Chichén Itzá has been declared one of the 10 most famous and Instagrammable heritage sites worldwide.
There is no question that Yucatán’s video mapping shows are cool, but are they worth the steep cost?
Much of what you’ve read is wrong. Here is what you should know about this amazing find.
Yucatán’s famous light-and-sound shows always break down, but they always come back — eventually. “Kukulkán Nights,” which is projected on Chichén Itzá’s iconic pyramid, is one of those shows. It reopens to the public Friday after its high-tech machinery broke down on Jan. 1. INAH said the 30-minute video mapping show will be only Friday, Saturday…
Archaeologists in Piste have revealed a newly discovered group of structures at Chichén Itzá believed to have been part of an elite housing complex in antiquity. The complex would represent “the first residential group where a ruler lived with his entire family,” archaeologist Francisco Perez Ruiz told the Reuters news agency. The area, known as…
A tourist from Poland was arrested, and assaulted by other tourists, after being the latest to attempt to ascend the ancient pyramid at Chichén Itzá illegally. The visitor, identified as Pawel Tomasz, was detained by authorities on Saturday afternoon when he descended the famous temple of Kukulkán, perhaps Mexico’s most iconic site. Other tourists were…
This week on episode 2 of “Uncovered,” we speak with the pioneering tour guide José Gómez Rodríguez and the discovery that made him a sensation in the world of archaeology.
INAH employees are accused of profiting from Chichén Itzá’s shutdown by allowing their own visitors to roam the ancient pyramid and observatory.
The woman berated by fellow tourists and detained by authorities for illegally climbing Chichén Itzá’s Kukulkán pyramid is reported to have paid a fine of only 5,000 pesos, roughly US$250. The woman, now identified as Abigail Villalobos, 29, was taken to the nearby community of Tinum (not Piste as previously reported) where she was given…
When a woman illegally climbed Chichén Itzá’s famous Kukulkán pyramid over the weekend, other tourists showed their displeasure. The tourist had been yelling obscenities near the entrance to the famous archaeological site, according to witnesses. When other tourists noticed what the woman was doing, a large group gathered near the temple’s base and started to…
The plans, announced just days ago, Tren Maya passengers disembarking on the outskirts of Pisté on their way to Chichén Itzá. Previously, the train stop was to be in town.
During antiquity, Pisté was a part of Chichén Itzá’s outskirts, stretching out several miles in every direction from the archaeological park that exists today.
Mexico has announced plans to open two new archaeological sites to the public in Quintana Roo.
Until the early 1980s, the Mayan-themed restaurant and nightclub Ciudad Maya was one of the hottest spots in Mérida.
That’s all for now
That’s all for now