An hour from the walled city, one excursion compresses two thousand years of history: a great Maya city and a restored colonial hacienda. Edzná and Hacienda Uayamón link into a day that runs from pre-Hispanic splendour to the world of henequen, without the crowds of the big tourist circuits.
It is, perhaps, the excursion that best explains the historical depth of Campeche.
The Great Acropolis of Edzna, ceremonial heart of the Maya city. · Photo: Ralf Roletschek
Edzná: Maya engineering in stone
About 55 kilometres south-east of the city, Edzná was a Maya metropolis occupied for nearly two millennia. Its most famous monument is the Five-Storey Building, an acropolis combining a pyramidal base with stepped chambers, crowned by a temple — an uncommon architectural solution in the Maya world. Edzná is, in fact, the rare city where several regional Maya architectural styles converge — the ideal introduction before venturing south to Calakmul.
But Edzná's true feat is invisible at first glance: a sophisticated hydraulic system of canals, dykes and reservoirs that collected rainwater to sustain the city on a plain without rivers. To walk its plazas, almost alone, is a very different experience from the great crowded sites of Yucatán. To frame what was built here, it helps to have first seen the stelae at the Museum of Maya Architecture in the centre.
A stucco mask of the sun god, at Edzna.
Hacienda Uayamón: the other history
On the way back, Hacienda Uayamón adds a different layer. Founded in the 17th century and carefully restored, it was a great cattle and henequen estate. Its arches, chapel and machine house — now among gardens and greenery — let you read Campeche's colonial and Porfirian era. It is a stop that completes the story: from the Maya world to that of the haciendas, in a single journey.
Hacienda Uayamon, a restored henequen estate amid the jungle.
How to plan the excursion
Set out early to walk Edzná in the morning light; keep the return for the hacienda and lunch. A tour or a car handles the day with ease, and our cultural experiences can arrange it with a specialist guide. To keep exploring nature, chain it with the sanctuaries of Los Petenes and Xpicob; and to understand the city that serves as your base, read about its walled history.
Return from the excursion to a heritage home in the heart of the walled city.
Explore the collection →Frequently asked questions
What is Edzná and why visit it?
Edzná is a Maya city about 55 km from Campeche, occupied for nearly two thousand years. Its highlights are the Five-Storey Building, a unique pyramid-palace, and a sophisticated hydraulic system of canals and reservoirs. It is one of the most impressive and least crowded archaeological sites on the Peninsula.
What is the Five-Storey Building?
Edzná's emblematic structure: an imposing acropolis combining a pyramidal base with chambers on several levels, crowned by a temple. It reflects Maya mastery of architecture and astronomy.
What is Hacienda Uayamón?
A 17th-century hacienda near Edzná, today restored, a witness to the era of henequen and cattle. Its arches, chapel and machine house let you read another layer of Campeche's history, the colonial and Porfirian.
How do you get to Edzná from Campeche?
By car or organised tour, in about an hour. It is best to set out early to walk the site in the light and cool of the morning.
Is Edzná very crowded?
No. Unlike the great sites of Yucatán, Edzná is usually visited in calm, allowing a more intimate and contemplative experience among its structures.
