All about Ruta Puuc in Mexico

Puuc is a Maya region (or route) as well as an architectural style. The „Ruta Puuc“ begins 80km south of Mérida. It is a side road of the national road MEX 261, which branches off from it to the east south of the town of Santa Elena and includes many places of interest.

But in fact there is no exact route for "Ruta Puuc" - usually it is mainly associated with the smaller and less touristy Maya archaeological sites of Kabah, Labná, Xlapak or Sayil and the "Puuc style" is mainly characterised by the ornaments and decorations on the buildings.

Often Mérida is the starting point for a tour and the archaeological site of Uxmal is the first major stop. There are also many old colonial towns, haciendas (e.g. the Hacienda Yaxcopoil), churches, cenotes and caves along the route.

The two cave systems Grutas de Lol-Tún and Grutas de Calcehtok, which were used by the Maya as religious sites and as a refuge during the caste war, are also part of the Ruta Puuc.

Ruta Puuc is off the traditional tourist routes, so there are far fewer tourists at the individual sights, fewer annoying vendors and the entrance fees to the individual sites are also much cheaper than to the better-known places.

We have more background information and travel tips on Mayan archaeological sites.

The world of archaeology

Some interesting figures about Mayan archaeological sites on the Yucatan Peninsula:

Associated sights with the Ruta Puuc:

• Uxmal Mayan Ruins

• Kabah Mayan Ruins

• Oxkintok Mayan Ruins

• Sayil Mayan Ruins

• Xlapak Mayan Ruins

• Labná Mayan Ruins

• Chacmultún Mayan Ruins

• Grutas de Lol-Tún

• Grutas de Calcehtok

What is the best way to go?

If you want to drive the entire Ruta Puuc and visit all the sights, you will need two to three days. However, most people go on a day trip and visit perhaps 2 or 3 sites, which is actually enough to get a good impression of this part of the Yucatan Peninsula.

So you can either book a tour or use a car. A rental car is probably the best way to get around because it is the most flexible. Public transport is almost non-existent in this part of Yucatán and therefore not recommended.

Image Source: ©Bernard Dupont, flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link

The picture was modified (resized, image improvements)