Xcaret is a Mayan archaeological site located on the Caribbean coast within the privately owned theme park of the same name. In the Yucatec-Mayan language, xcaret means “small inlet.” But in antiquity, the name of the port city was p’ole’, which was derived from the root p’ol, which means “merchandise” or “deal of merchants.”
Xcaret’s location inside a private theme park makes it a bit of an oddball. The area surrounding the ruins certainly is beautiful, full of exotic flowers and birds, as well as meticulously laid out paths, and lush foliage. But if this lovely landscape feels a bit artificial, that’s because it is. Many archaeology buffs, yours
truly included, have mixed feelings about Xcaret, but say what you will, this “Mayan Disneyland” definitely lives up to the meaning of its original name.
Like Tulum, Xcaret was surrounded by a defensive wall, but unlike Tulum, its wall was open towards the ocean. It is not known when Xcaret was first occupied, but its earliest constructions date to the 2nd century CE — right in line with other coastal settlements in northern Quintana Roo including El Rey and El Meco.
Xcaret was still inhabited when the Spanish conquistadors began their first incursions into the Yucatán Peninsula. After Xcaret was taken by the forces of conquistadors Alonso Dávila and Francisco de Montejo, a Catholic chapel was built on its grounds and the city was left under the control of Juan Núñez in 1548.
The codex known as the Chilamb Balam mentions that Xcaret was a stop on a sacred pilgrimage carried out by the Itzáes — lords of great cities including Edzná, Mayapán, and of course Chichén Itzá. Xcaret was also important as it served as the main port to the island of Cozumel — the largest island occupied by the Maya. Ancient inscriptions record political marriages between the nobility of Xcaret and cities in Cozumel such as Tan-tun, now known as San Gervasio.
Like practically all Mayan settlements on the coast of Quintana Roo, the dominant architectural style observable at Xcaret is Costa Oriental. Xcaret’s surviving ancient structures can be found throughout Xcaret Park and can be navigated using signage, though the distances between them can be considerable and a little disorienting.
Some of the structures at Xcaret are extremely small and were likely designed to house items of religious or symbolic importance. It is sometimes said by workers at the park that these small structures served as dwellings for tiny mischievous beings known as the alux, but as far as I am aware there is no evidence for this claim.
The archaeological site itself is divided into several groups, but most of the largest structures can be found in El Grupo de la Caleta and El Grupo de las Plataformas.
The tallest structure at the site is a steep pyramid borrowing elements of Teotihuacan architecture. Between the restored stairway it is easy to spot a niche that likely housed a large stucco mask. This relatively small pyramid design is reminiscent of larger structures found to the south of Quintana Roo’s coast at Chacchoben and Oxtankah.
Now, for the elephant in the room. Getting into Xcaret is extremely expensive, with the cheapest entrance option ringing you over US$110. Although the archaeological site is officially owned by the Mexican state and administered by the INAH, it is not possible to bypass the fee levied by Grupo Xcaret. The entrance fee includes much more than “just” the archaeological site, but if your main interest is archaeology you would be better off visiting one of the dozens of other archaeological sites in the region.
— text and photos by
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