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The World’s 100 Best Archaeological Sites & Ruins · 2026

The Best Archaeological Sites & Ruins in North America

14 of the 100 sites in The World’s 100 Best Archaeological Sites & Ruins 2026 are in North America, in 2 countries. The highest placed is Calakmul in Calakmul, Mexico, at number 1 in the world. Uxmal in Santa Elena, Mexico (number 9) and Palenque in Palenque, Mexico (number 13) follow.

Calakmul
N° 1 · Calakmul, Calakmul

Mexico

Twelve entries. Calakmul, first on the list, lies deep in the forest of Campeche. Uxmal, Ek Balam, Edzná, Chichén Itzá and Tulum are on the Yucatán peninsula, Palenque and Yaxchilán in Chiapas. Teotihuacan is north-east of Mexico City, Cantona in Puebla, El Tajín in Veracruz and Monte Albán above Oaxaca.

United States

Chaco Canyon in New Mexico and Mesa Verde in Colorado are sites of the Ancestral Pueblo people: great houses on the canyon floor at Chaco, cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde.

Sites

91. Mesa Verde 86. Tulum 84. Chichén Itzá 78. Chaco Canyon 72. Monte Albán 68. El Tajín 62. Teotihuacan 44. Cantona 37. Edzná 29. Ek Balam 18. Yaxchilán 13. Palenque 9. Uxmal 1. Calakmul 1
91. Mesa Verde 86. Tulum 84. Chichén Itzá 78. Chaco Canyon 72. Monte Albán 68. El Tajín 62. Teotihuacan 44. Cantona 37. Edzná 29. Ek Balam 18. Yaxchilán 13. Palenque 9. Uxmal 1. Calakmul 1
  1. Calakmul N° 1 Calakmul Calakmul, Mexico Ancient city
  2. Uxmal N° 9 Uxmal Santa Elena, Mexico Ancient city
  3. Palenque N° 13 Palenque Palenque, Mexico Ancient city
  4. Yaxchilán N° 18 Yaxchilán Frontera Corozal, Mexico Ancient city
  5. Ek Balam N° 29 Ek Balam Temozón, Mexico Ancient city
  6. Edzná N° 37 Edzná Campeche, Mexico Ancient city
  7. Cantona N° 44 Cantona Tepeyahualco, Mexico Ancient city
  8. Teotihuacan N° 62 Teotihuacan San Juan Teotihuacán, Mexico Ancient city
  9. El Tajín N° 68 El Tajín Papantla, Mexico Ancient city
  10. Monte Albán N° 72 Monte Albán Oaxaca, Mexico Ancient city
  11. Chaco Canyon N° 78 Chaco Canyon Nageezi, United States Ancient city
  12. Chichén Itzá N° 84 Chichén Itzá Pisté, Mexico Ancient city
  13. Tulum N° 86 Tulum Tulum, Mexico Ancient city
  14. Mesa Verde N° 91 Mesa Verde Cortez, United States Rock-cut site

Best by region

  1. EuropeNuraghe Santu AntineTorralba, ItalyN° 8
  2. AsiaEllora CavesEllora, IndiaN° 6
  3. The Middle EastPetraWadi Musa, JordanN° 2
  4. North AmericaCalakmulCalakmul, MexicoN° 1
  5. Latin AmericaMachu PicchuAguas Calientes, PeruN° 3
  6. AfricaDouggaTéboursouk, TunisiaN° 5

Best by kind

  1. Ancient citiesCalakmulCalakmul, MexicoN° 1
  2. Temple sitesDendera TempleQena, EgyptN° 4
  3. Pyramids & TombsPyramids of GizaGiza, EgyptN° 17
  4. Amphitheatres & TheatresAmphitheatre of El JemEl Jem, TunisiaN° 23
  5. Rock-cut sitesEllora CavesEllora, IndiaN° 6

Best by country

  1. TurkeySagalassosAğlasunN° 16
  2. MexicoCalakmulCalakmulN° 1
  3. EgyptDendera TempleQenaN° 4
  4. IndiaEllora CavesElloraN° 6
  5. ItalyNuraghe Santu AntineTorralbaN° 8