Xochitecatl
Nativitas, Mexico
Xochitecatl is a ceremonial centre on the summit of an extinct volcano in the state of Tlaxcala, begun around 800 BC,…
1 ticket or tour
North America
Oldest ancient sites in North America
All of the oldest North American sites on this list are in Mexico apart from Mesa Verde, and the dates mark first settlement rather than the temples you climb. Xochitecatl in Tlaxcala, settled around 800 BC, is the earliest; Monte Alban above Oaxaca was founded by the Zapotecs about 500 BC. Maya sites in Quintana Roo and Campeche, such as Edzna, Dzibanche and Kohunlich, have early village dates while most standing buildings are Classic. Mesa Verde's cliff dwellings came about six centuries after its first pit houses.
| # | Site | Country | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Xochitecatl | Mexico | 800 BC |
| 2 | Dainzu | Mexico | 650 BC |
| 3 | Monte Alban | Mexico | 500 BC |
| 4 | Edzna | Mexico | 400 BC |
| 5 | Ichkabal | Mexico | 400 BC |
| 6 | Muyil | Mexico | 350 BC |
| 7 | Balamku | Mexico | 300 BC |
| 8 | Chicanna | Mexico | 300 BC |
| 9 | Dzibanche | Mexico | 300 BC |
| 10 | Guachimontones | Mexico | 300 BC |
| 11 | Kohunlich | Mexico | 200 BC |
| 12 | Chacchoben | Mexico | 200 BC |
| 13 | Great Pyramid of Cholula | Mexico | 150 BC |
| 14 | San Gervasio | Mexico | AD 300 |
| 15 | Yaxchilan | Mexico | AD 359 |
| 16 | Mesa Verde | United States | AD 550 |
| 17 | Bonampak | Mexico | AD 580 |
| 18 | El Tajin | Mexico | AD 600 |
| 19 | Plazuelas | Mexico | AD 600 |
| 20 | Cacaxtla | Mexico | AD 650 |
Dainzu
Oaxaca, Mexico
Dainzu is a Zapotec town on a hillside in the Tlacolula valley, about 20 km south-east of Oaxaca city, at its height…
2 tickets & tours
Monte Alban
Oaxaca, Mexico
Monte Alban is the hilltop capital of the Zapotecs above Oaxaca City in southern Mexico, founded around 500 BC on an…
32 tickets & tours
Edzna
Campeche, Mexico
Edzna is a Maya city in the valley south-east of Campeche, about an hour's drive from the walled port.
3 tickets & tours
Ichkabal
Bacalar, Mexico
Ichkabal is a vast Maya city in the forest west of Bacalar, in southern Quintana Roo, opened to visitors only recently.
3 tickets & tours
Muyil
Tulum, Mexico
Muyil is a quiet Maya site in the forest about 20 km south of Tulum, on the edge of the Sian Ka'an reserve in…
8 tickets & tours
Balamku
Calakmul, Mexico
Balamku is a small Maya site in the forest of southern Campeche, about 50 km north of Calakmul, discovered only in…
No online ticket
Chicanna
Xpujil, Mexico
Chicanna is a small Maya site in southern Campeche, famous for a temple whose doorway is carved as the gaping mouth of…
No online ticket
Dzibanche
Bacalar, Mexico
Dzibanche is a Maya city in the forest of southern Quintana Roo, west of Bacalar, that was the first capital of the…
3 tickets & tours
Guachimontones
Teuchitlan, Mexico
Guachimontones is the largest site of the Teuchitlan culture, on a hillside above Teuchitlan about an hour west of…
6 tickets & tours
Kohunlich
Chetumal, Mexico
Kohunlich is a Maya city in the rainforest of southern Quintana Roo, about 65 km west of Chetumal, known above all for…
4 tickets & tours
Chacchoben
Mahahual, Mexico
Chacchoben is a Maya city in the jungle of southern Quintana Roo, an hour inland from the cruise port of Costa Maya,…
18 tickets & tours