Aké

We feel Aké is one of the most magical of the old Mayan sites.

Filled with puzzles and oddities (not the least of which is that the ruin is completely contained within the old Hacienda—I often try to imagine what it must have been like to plop down your great manor house right in the midst of a great Mayan city!) The ruins are not completely contained within the archeological zone, but spill out into the town. Look for the village church—it sits atop a pyramid!

Aké is a fascinating ruin. Somewhat of an archeological cunundrum, this site shows some of what has been described as Toltec influences as seen at Chichen Itza. However, this is a very old site (occupied from about 100 AD) and there is no evidence to support any Toltec presence here. Only a few structures have been excavated and there has been some restoration, but from the top of the Temple of the Columns (you'll know what I mean) you can see that there are many unexcavated structures.

Driving Directions

Aké is about a 40 minute drive from Macan ché. Here's step-by-step how to get there.

  • Go east on Calle 22 1/2 block
  • Turn right onto Calle 35 and go to Calle 44 (there's a stop sign there)
  • Turn right onto Calle 44 and go 2 blocks (there are stop signs at both intersections)
  • Turn left onto Calle 31; you are now on the main road (which becomes the main highway) to Mérida
  • Continue on the highway for about 7 km and you'll arrive in the town of Citilcum. As they say in México, "todo derecho" which means keep going straight ahead—you'll pass through Citilcum, then Cacalchen, then Euán and finally you'll approach Tixcocob
  • Look for the sign for Ake, the exit is to your right
  • You'll pass through Ekmul and a few other tiny pueblos on your way, just stay on the road
  • In Aké you'll come to a "T" in the road, go to the right and follow along past the entrance to the hacienda—you'll see an old "casa de maquinas" (where they process the hennequin) on your right and a newer concrete structure which now houses the machinery from the old "casa de maquinas" as it was heavily damaged in a hurricane
  • There's a grass field facing one of the pyramids where you can park
  • The entrance to the ruins is down a little dirt road to the right (as you face the pyramid
  • There's a little concrete booth on your right where you pay the $24 pesos entrance fee—they'll give you a little map of the site