El Meco: The Original Cancun Lighthouse

“El Meco” is one of the smaller archeological sites along the Riviera Maya and doesn’t take much time to visit. It’s a great stop on your way to somewhere else. Because it is the higher structure in the area, it offer a clear image of what life was like when the Mayans ruled.

What does “El Meco” mean?

Okay, we need to talk about the name. You’ll notice it doesn’t sound very Mayan—no letter x or an impossible number of consonants in a row. It’s modern-ish Spanish slang. The ruins are named after a local with a disability, the caretaker of a small beach ranch around the site. The term is considered a politically incorrect term and a bad word, so use with care.

What was “El Meco” for?

What makes “El Meco” interesting is its height—40 ft. It’s also built on high grounds, right on the coast, overlooking the sea and Isla Mujeres. Sounds like a lighthouse, doesn’t it? That’s exactly what many believe “El Meco” to be. At one point, this was an important area of commerce and trade, and it is thought the pyramid at “El Meco” was one way to keep an eye on the docking ships.

Traces of other places

As a heavy traffic port and trade center, this area was open to the influence of other sites and cities. The god Itzmana was an important presence in “El Meco”, and the serpent imagery found here, including a couple of serpent heads, is very reminiscent of that in Chichen Itza.

However, contrary to Chichen Itza’s Kukulkan pyramid, you can climb this one. Though it is much smaller, the view from the top, on its high terrain, overlooks the coast, the ocean, Isla Mujeres, and the lagoons around the site—it’s something to behold.

Make a day out of it

As you can imagine, it is forbidden to introduce food —no climbing to the top of the pyramid munching your bean burrito, I’m afraid—but you do have a great alternative. Just go find one of the few restaurants in the area that have a similar vantage point. Bon appetit.