El Rey: A Bite-Sized Archeological Site

This is not the biggest archeological site in the Riviera Maya, for sure, but El Rey’s location—right in the middle of Cancun’s hotel zone—might be its biggest advantage. It’s a great place to see if you want to do a little bit of everything or you’re planning to go to other, bigger sites, like Chichen Itzá, further down the line. Its closeness to the Mayan Museum also makes it like an extra exhibit room.

Why is it called “El Rey”?

The name, El Rey (Spanish for “the king”), comes from a discovery made in 1909 by English travelers Channing Arnold and Frederick Frost. A statue—a human figure whom, they thought, looked like a king or royal character of some kind. The statue, however, is no longer here, but at the Mayan Museum just down the road.

El Rey’s ruins

What’s interesting about El Rey, and what sets it apart from other, more majestic archeological sites, is that life here was more normal, down to earth. A thousand years ago, this seems to have been the center of a fishing town. As such, the ruins here are simple.

Only a few structures and platforms remain of many of the buildings. One such platform, known as Structure 2, is especially interesting, as it was where a pyramid and temple stood. There are also the remains of administrative buildings—palaces—where the rulers gathered to… well, rule.

There are 47 structures in all, and, depending on your speed, it may take you anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour to see them all. Though there is a rest area, there’s not a lot of shade here, so remember to bring an umbrella—or fedora hat.

 The Mayan Museum

As this is a quick visit, you could continue your excursion to the Mayan Museum, just 1 mile down the road. There, you can learn more about this and other Mayan archeological sites, as well as finally lay eyes on the statue that gave this place its name, El Rey.

El Rey archeological site opens every day from 8 am to 4:30 pm.