Xochicalco Archaeological Zone: audio guide for your visit

72-hour pass for US$10, no subscription. 4 stops to listen to for free, no sign-up.

About the site

Xochicalco was a fortified city that grew on hills around the year six hundred fifty, when the great centers of the previous period fell. This audio guide takes you through its plazas, courts and temples, with the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpents and its calendar in stone, up to the day the city was burned and abandoned.

What to see: Xochicalco essentials

10 stops in about 2 h 30 min, in the order you walk.

What Xochicalco Was A city built on high ground, in a world that had lost its center.
Walk: Toward the Plaza of the Stela A short stretch to listen to as you climb.
Plaza of the Stela of the Two Glyphs An open plaza where people watched the Sun rise at the equinoxes and solstices.
Walk: Toward the Main Plaza An uphill route through a city designed to be defended.
The Main Plaza The best-protected part of the city, where power was concentrated.
The Pyramid of the Feathered Serpents Eight serpents and seated figures on a building made to be read.
The Calendar and the Eclipse A relief that may record an eclipse and the correction of a calendar.
The Light Shaft: The Observatory A cave in the mountain where the Sun enters on precise days of the year.
The Ramp of the Animals Slabs with engraved animals, between the real and the mythical.
The End of the City A city that dominated these hills for centuries and fell all at once.

Tours

Pick one for the time you have. The audio guide takes you one stop at a time.

Xochicalco essentials 2 h 30 min · 10 stops
Ten audio stops with two walks: the story of the city, the Plaza of the Stela, the Main Plaza, the Pyramid of the Plumed Serpents, the observatory seen from outside, the Ramp of the Animals and the end of the city. Allow for the walking time between places.
Xochicalco, complete 3 h 45 min · 28 stops
All twenty-one stops, the four walks and three stops in the Site Museum, in visiting order: the arrival, the middle level, the Main Plaza, the north and east complexes, the closing with the story of the explorers and the end of the city, and the museum.
Sky and calendar 1 h 15 min · 6 stops
Six stops on how time was measured: the Plaza of the Stela, the causeway altars, the Pyramid of the Plumed Serpents, its writing and the observatory.
Power and daily life 1 h 15 min · 6 stops
Six stops on who ruled and how people lived: the market, the Great Pyramid, the Palace, the Acropolis, the north complex with its cistern and temazcal, and the Temple of the Architects.
The fortified city and its end 45 min · 4 stops
Four stops on a city built to defend itself and how it ended: the hills, the entrance road, the Main Plaza and the end of Xochicalco.

Zones

Arrival and First Look A city raised on hills, with a stone road that still enters by the same place.
Stela Plaza and the Southern Complex The market, the largest ball court, and a causeway of altars that seem to count the days.
Main Plaza The plaza where the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpents rises, with its calendar in stone.
North Complex A cistern, a temazcal, and a hall with a painted altar: the part of the city that tells how people lived.
East Complex A stone ramp with hundreds of engraved animals and a temple where tools were found.
History and End of the City How Xochicalco was rediscovered, and what happened when the city was burned and abandoned.
Site Museum The original pieces that are no longer in the area.

Before you go

How to get there

Xochicalco is in Miacatlán, Morelos, on the Xochicalco-Tetlama highway. From Mexico City it is reached by road in a little over an hour and a half, although traffic changes the time. By public transport, the usual way is to go from Taxqueña to Cuernavaca and continue from there to Xochicalco; the trip can take more than three hours.

From Cuernavaca, the most comfortable way is by car, by taxi or by local transport. If you arrive by taxi, agree on your return time with the driver or ask for their phone number: there are not always taxis waiting when you leave the site. Confirm the route before leaving.

Within the zone there are climbs, stairs and open-air stretches. Allow time to walk it calmly.

Hours and tickets

The archaeological zone opens every day, normally from nine to six, with last entry at five in the afternoon. Always confirm the hours before going.

Admission, according to a recent INAH record, costs one hundred five pesos for Mexican visitors and two hundred ten pesos for foreigners. On Sundays it is free for Mexicans and resident foreigners. With an INAPAM card, admission is free on weekdays.

The observatory has been closed to the public for years because of damage from the two thousand seventeen earthquake, and there is no reopening date. In this audio guide you will see it from outside.

The Site Museum is visited separately and is an extra stop; confirm its hours and admission.

What to bring and how to tour the zone

Wear comfortable, closed shoes, a hat, sunscreen and bring water. There are long open-air stretches, stairs and uneven ground, and shade is limited. If you go in the rainy season, bring a light raincoat.

To listen to the audios, use headphones. Download the audio guide before you arrive if you want to use it offline.

At the equinoxes and solstices there are usually more visitors; if you can, choose another day.

How to take care of the zone

Xochicalco is a World Heritage Site. Do not climb on the buildings, do not touch the reliefs or the walls and follow the marked paths. Respect the cordons and the staff’s instructions.

The observatory is closed for safety. Do not try to enter.

The rules for taking photos, using a tripod or flying a drone change at each place. Ask at the ticket office.

Accessibility

The zone is built on hills, with terraces, stairs, ramps and stone floors. If you need routes without stairs, ask at the ticket office before you begin and decide which parts of the visit suit you.

Free stops to try

Open the audio guide