This article highlights El Rey Archeological Site, a Mayan site located in Cancun’s hotel or touristic zone.
You guys know how Cancun totally deceived me.
Beaches controlled by all-inclusive hotels (when all beaches are supposed to be public).
Hotel paid guards making sure you don’t step over the sand (or swim) in front of a property.
Locals segregated in small strands of sand.
Tons of malls full of global brands.
A sense of disrespect towards independent travelers.
The place is full of “travel agencies” trying to scam tourists.
In summary, I found the place boring and even insulting. As a matter of fact, I was so down with the beach scene that I decided to cross the street to visit the Mayan ruins.
Yes, there are some Mayan ruins on the island of Cancun. You can find them across Playa Delfines.
Los Delfines Beach
These ruins are nothing out of this world. But they are a good option if you are a diehard Mayan ruins fan or if you want to escape the joke that Cancun is.
The ruins are called El Rey (The King). This archeological site has the largest extension in the island of Cancun. The buildings that remain to this day belong to the late Postclassic period. The architectural features correspond to the East Coast style. The site is contemporary of Tulum, Xelha and San Gervasio (in Cozumel).
There are 47 Pre-Hispanic structures distributed throughout the island. El Rey was possibly a civil and ceremonial center. It is made up of 2 plazas and the limits are marked by residential platforms. The archaeological excavations have revealed that the economic activities of this population were based mainly on fishing.
El Rey Archeological Area
Base and columns at El Rey
Building at El Rey
Everything felt good about this small archeological place. There were almost no visitors. The sunlight was bathing the buildings with a soft glow.
But I guess some Mayan gods knew I just hated this island and had no desire to visit again. And because of my bad vibe towards Cancun, they sent an avenger to give me a lesson.
Yes, they send an innocent-looking, even cute creature.
This bird looks friendly but it is not
You may have an idea of what happened next. The cute creature pooped all over my arm and clothes. It all happened so fast. I just felt the warm liquid rolling over my arm. Grosssssssssssssss.
What is that gray thing?
I don’t even remember when was the last time a bird pooped over me. I think I was still living in Puerto Rico. I cleaned my clothes with some napkins I had in my bag. But let me tell you I have the last laugh because I had to rub my arm against one of the buildings in order to clean it. Sorry Mayan architects. I love your buildings but this was an emergency.
Maybe this was the responsible
So there you have it. Now, I can add pooping birds to the things I hate about Cancun.
Sunset at El Rey
However, on more serious matters, the ruins are cool and you may decide to visit them. You should even visit more places in Cancun to see what your feelings about the place are. But be careful about what you say (or blog) about the place. The Mayan gods may have a surprise stored for you.
Me in front of one of the buildings
Have you visited El Rey Archeological Site? Let me know in the comments section below.
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