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Chichen Itza, one of the best preserved ancient cities belonging to the bygone Mayan civilization, is the most popular day out for tourists from Cancun.
It is ranked number one on TripAdvisor and attracts millions of visitors every year thanks to its Wonder of the World status.
It is indeed a fascinating set of ancient ruins, as you would expect in one Indiana Jones episode, but there is one major drawback to Chichen Itza that is often downplayed:
Because it is the most visited archaeological site Mexico, that’s possible overly busyand if you are not accompanied by a local guide, be wary of the spot scam.
Mexico’s rich Mayan history is not limited to Chichen Itza, however, as there are hundreds of lost cities yet to be discovered: one of them is a mystical Ichkabal which is fully open to tourists for the first time this fall:
One of the largest and oldest Mayan monuments still standing
Ichkabal is located in southern Quintana Roo, a 4h30 drive from Tulum and an even shorter hour’s drive from the up-and-coming resort town of Bacalar. abandoned Mayan settlement that archaeologists have determined dates back as early as 250 BC.
By comparison, despite being more famous, Chichen Itza is much younger; it was built from 600 AD, more than eight centuries later.
Unlike other popular Mayan sites on the Yucatan Peninsula, such as the aforementioned Itza and the monumental Coba ruins, Ichkabal was not discovered until the mid-1990s. It was located in a particularly dense patch of jungle left largely untouched through urban development.
Since the discovery, archaeologists have conducted extensive research into the area, uncovering overgrown temples that have been all but buried over time, as well as a monumental step pyramid.
As demand for cultural tourism in the Mexican Caribbean grows, leisure destination previously associated almost exclusively with luxury resorts and beaches, Mayan monuments are up there, with colonial cities being some of the most popular attractions.
Mayan ruins are incredibly trendy to visit right now
Based on statistics from the Mexican National Institute of Anthropology and History––phew, that was a mouthful––Chichen Itya alone registered one 26% growth year-on-year.
Visitor numbers in Tulum have also increased in recent months, especially after the opening of an international airport within driving distance of the local ruins.
Although Ichkabal is essentially a virgin place and is theoretically more difficult to reach, as there are (currently) no public transport options traveling to and from the location. It is also predicted to become a major point of interest for tourists.
For starters, it is one of the largest archaeological complexes of its kind in the state of Quintana Roo, covering an area of 30 square kilometers.
That makes it a lot of bigger than Chichen Itzawhich only covers an area of 4 square miles.
Second, the landmark Ichkabal Pyramid is 46 meters high, 16 meters higher than Chichen Itza’s world-famous and extensively photographed Temple of Kukulcan.
Last but not last is Ichkabal A much older Mayan city with a historical importance that rivals, or even surpasses, that of its northern sisters, and plays host to a plethora of millennia-old artifacts and historic structures with varying levels of preservation.
Plus, there’s the fact that Ichkabal has yet to experience the spoils of mass tourism, giving culture vultures some respite from the swelling crowds of Chichen Itza, Tulum and the like.
Mayan Train leaves for southern Quintana Roo this fall
At this time, officials have not announced an exact date for when the ruins open to the public, but they to have confirmed that the gates of Ichkabal will be throw it open in the fall.
Considering the southern route of the Tren Maya will go into service from September 15, connecting Cancun to South Quintana Roo (SQR) by rail for the first time. We suspect that Ichkabal’s big debut will coincide with the upcoming launch of the train.
If Mexican authorities go ahead with their schedule, travelers will be able to board a train in Cancun from September and travel as much as 1,500 kilometers south to Bacalar.
Bacalar is the gateway to SQR’s Mayan wonders, including Ichkabal and the soon-to-open Chakanbakán, another heritage site is currently being restored for a possible opening in the near future.
Once Ichkabal opens, we expect local tour operators will add it to their ever-expanding portfolio of Mayan attractions – and perhaps, maybe we can hope that shuttle buses will be added departing from Bacalar Station to ensure that train passengers can a smooth transfer to the site?
You can hope.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
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