El Rey, archaeological remains in the Cancun Tourism Center (Riviera Maya)

In Cancun tourism center we can find the archaeological site of El Rey, at the south of the ancient island. Today, the island of Cancun is still connected to the continent via two bridges. The excavations are opposite the Caesar’s Park Hotel.

Again we remind you that to get to Cancun there are buses departing every half an hour from the Quinta Avenida station, van, taxi, aerotaxi, or rented vehicles. The excavation has facilities, including guided tours, and the ticket costs 1 Euro/Dollar approximately.

Once again, the Mayan name of this city is unknown. Its current name, El Rey, is due to the discovery of the upper part of a sculpture representing a human face with the typical headdress of the highest Mayan authority; currently, this head is in the Archaeological Museum of Cancun.

Even tough there are not many remains left, researchers state the year 300 before Christ to date the first human settlements in the region, that surely were fishermen and salt vendors towns, but the settlements were few until the year 1200.

As from that date -period called late post-classic by historians- the town began to have human and urban importance. The architectural style is known as “oriental coast”, to which other known sites like Tulum also belong.

This Mayan ruins we can now visit are surely the center of a city mainly devoted to economic activities related to the sea. Let’s not forget that it is placed in a privileged region for navigation in the Caribbean Sea or the small lake of Nichupté.

Upon the arrival of the Spaniards, the whole maritime system collapsed and the inhabitants of El Rey abandoned the city to take refuge in the inner part of the peninsula of Yucatán. But, it wasn’t only this city but the whole area that was inhabited and exposed to the pirates’ plundering for three centuries.

It is currently the most important island site of Cancun. In the explored and open discoveries, researchers believe that this would be the most significant city of the region where the most important people had lived.

The main building, having the typical pyramid-shape structure of the Mayan, is a temple presenting patterns of different architectural periods, which would denote an intense urban activity in the city from the XIV to the XVI. Precisely in this building a burial was found with the typical adornments of a high-class individual of the Mayan scenario; these remains can be visited at the Archaeological Museum of Cancun.

The scenario is completed with many palaces and administrative buildings, joined by a road creating a north-south axis. In one of these buildings, the glyphic Ahua was discovered; according to the Mayan language, it belonged to the highest class and that is why it is believed that this building could have been the dwelling apartment of a king.

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Francisco Cenamor

The Fives USA blog about Playa del Carmen & the Riviera Maya, Mexico

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