Ake

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AKE- Yucatan, Mexico

DESCRIPTION
Aké, Place of Reeds in Yucatek Maya, is a nicely preserved, seldom visited archaeological zone located in the state of Yucatan. The original name of the site is unknown though an emblem glyph associated with the site has been discovered that could help. The glyph contains a hand holding a fish which means “conjurer of clouds, storms, and winds” in Yucatek Maya.

The site is situated within the town of (Ruinas de) Aké, and consists of five groups accessible to the public. Portions of the site are located within a colonial church compound which provides its own paid tours, as well as on the property of an old henequen hacienda. A small, noisy working henequen factory is situated next to the main core area.

The site exhibits an architectural style known as “Megalithic”. This style incorporates huge blocks of stone in the design of the structures with the corners of the structures nicely rounded. Another feature is protruding slabs that run at intervals around the circumference of the structure. These features can also be seen at the nearby site of Izamal.

There are the remains of two walls that once enclosed the core area. A number of sacbeob (raised white stone roads) are associated with the site. One of these lead to the ruins of the important pilgrimage site of Izamal, and has been partially restored.

Ake is about 17 miles/28 kms east from Merida on Federal Highway 80 passing first through the town of Tixkokob, then southeast through the town of Ekmul. It is located in the southeast portion of (Ruinas de) Aké.

HOURS: 8:00 A.M-5:00 P.M.
ENTRANCE FEE: $8.50/145 Pesos, State fees may also apply
GUIDES: No
SERVICES: None

ON-SITE MUSEUM: No
ACCOMODATIONS: Hostel/restaurants in town/ Merida day trip
GPS: 20057’20” N, 89013’10”
MISC: Bring water and snacks

HISTORY AND EXPLORATION
Ceramic evidence points to the early settlement of Aké in the Late Preclassic period (300 BCE-250 CE). Many of the structures one sees today date from the Early Classic (250-600 CE) and are very similar to those found at its larger neighbor Izamal. A sacbe leads out from Aké 20 miles/34 kms to this important site. Aké was populated into the Post Classic (1100-1450 CE), and on into the Colonial Era.

There have been no readable stelae (large carved stone monuments) or other hieroglyphic inscriptions found at Ake to determine its political/economic relationships to other sites. A partial stela repurposed into a Post Classic shrine has been dated stylistically to c600 CE. It has been suggested that Aké was a dependency of the regional capital of Izamal. Ceramic evidence points to contacts with other sites such as Rio Bec to the south, Coba and El Meco to the east; and Dzibilchaltun and Oxkintok to the west.

Aké was first reported on by those intrepid explorers extraordinaire, John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood in the 1840’s. There followed other explorers such as Desire Charnay in 1887, and Teobert Maler 1885-92. Modern explorations, excavations and consolidations began in the 1960’s with restorations undertaken by INAH in 1979. A current project has been ongoing to further consolidate the structures, and to obtain a better understanding of the cultural nature of the site. Investigations in 2026 by Roberto Rosado-Ramirez have suggested that Aké was not abandoned at the end of the Late Classic but maintained a limited, but dynamic population into the Colonial Era.

In a signed document from 1567, written in Yucatec Mayan using Latin characters, a group of 17 Maya officials from the Motul greater area in northwestern Yucatán forwarded a petition to the king of Spain to dispatch more Franciscan friars to their communities. The Maya officials who signed onto this document were from towns located within a 10 miles/16 km radius of the town of Motul, which is located about 6.2 miles/10 km north of Aké. Among the signing officials was an individual named Jan Pech, “a batab and Governor of Tichake.” Ethnohistorian Sergio Quezada interprets this place-name as the ancient site of Aké.

This documented reference suggests that by the mid-sixteenth century Aké was an indigenous community incorporated into the colonial system. Its absence from later colonial records however, infers that the local residents may have been forcibly relocated sometime between 1567 and 1580.

STRUCTURES
There are five main groups of structures that make up the site core. The core area is centered about a huge, slightly raised plaza typical of the Maya, and is called here the Grand Plaza. They loved expansive open spaces, and this one is no exception measuring 253 feet/77 meters x 430 feet/131 meters. The most notable structure here is Structure 1, also known as the Temple of the Columns/Pilasters, and is situated on the north end of the Grand Plaza.

This very impressive structure runs 220 feet/67 meters long on an east west axis, and is 47 feet/ 14.2 meters wide. The extremely wide stairway (148 feet/45 meters) is constructed from large rectangular blocks typical of “Megalithic” architecture, and rises to a height of about 55 feet/17 meters. A flat surface runs across the top of the structure which consists of three series of 12 large block columns that at one time may have supported the largest roof in the Maya World. The column blocks themselves are about 4 feet/1.5 meters square in width, and are stacked atop one another to a height of about 10-12 feet/3-4 meters. A decorative ring of smaller “chinking” stones constitutes a band between each block. A sacbe leads off to the north from the northside of Structure 1.

Structure 2 is the main pyramid and forms the west side of the main plaza. Its construction contains 3-4 levels having terraces wrapping around the outer walls at each level. The summit of the pyramid is an uneven surface exhibiting the unexcavated remains of smaller structures. There are stairways that appear on the North, East, and South sides of the pyramid, with only the East stairway reconstructed. The corners of the pyramid are all nicely rounded. “Megalithic” slabs extend out from the pyramid sides on the different levels, and some appear to overhang recessed rectangular spaces. These spaces may have contained colorful murals or perhaps figures. The pyramid measures about 384 feet/117 meters x 200 feet/61 meters at its base. The height is about 49 feet/15 meters.

Investigations in 2026 recovered two Post Classic caches near the summit. Cache 1 contained a tripod plate, and Cache 2 consisted of three zoomorphic Chen Mul modeled ceramic figurines. In front of the pyramid on the plaza side are the faint remains of a low platform.

There are some small structures that front the pyramid on the north side. The most interesting is a perfectly round structure on the Northwest side. This has a diameter of around 25 feet/7.5 meters. Its possible use is unclear.

The East side of the Grand Plaza features a long palace type structure, Structure 13, though not nearly as high or as impressive as the Temple of the Columns. Still, it manages to inspire in its own right. The platform base measures about 317 feet/97 meters in length, and rises to a height estimated at around 20 feet/6 meters. There is a single, central stairway that leads to separate structures that run along the length of the platform. The upper level is in a ruinous state, and therefore difficult to determine the nature of the many rooms and chambers that once existed, and whether any had a stone corbeled roof. The rear of the structure is engulfed in forest, though a portion of the platform base on the north end is visible and is about 20 feet/6 meters deep. It is possible that a plaza platform extended out to the east.

In front of Structure 13 are the ruined foundations of a few constructions along with some contemporary piles of stone rubble. Another smaller circular structure is located at the foot of Structure 13. Just to the north is a low platform with a central set of steps. No stone structures appear to remain.

Behind Structure 13 about 804 feet/245 meters to the east is a complex exhibiting at least two pyramidal mounds. The larger of the two pyramid platforms measures about 181 feet/56 meters by 152 feet/58.5 meters and is at least 11 feet/3.25 meters in height.

On the west side of Structure 2, the main pyramid, is a raised plaza that extends out to the west, here called the West Plaza. This plaza is noticeably higher than the Grand Plaza. There are several structures located here. Immediately to the west of the pyramid are two structures that are on the north and south sides of a westward passageway. These are in a ruinous and unrestored state, with the north structure a forest covered mound. Structure 3 is located at the western end of this passageway.

Structure 3 is a two-story palace type structure that is first viewed when entering the archaeological site, and measures approximately87 feet/26.7 meters in length, and 134 feet/41 meters in width. It is set on a platform base that rises up on a series of low terraces until it meets the height of the West Plaza at about 8 feet/2.5 meters. A north facing stairway leads up to an open terrace measuring about 110 feet/336 meters by 158 feet/48 meters. On the south end of the terrace is the palace and features construction techniques similar to the Temple of the Columns, such as a Megalithic stairway and a few remaining square columns. The main stairway is on the north side of the structure and measures 72 feet/22 meters in length extending outward another 27 feet/8.2 meters. It leads up to a multi-roomed structure that has three entrances between two square columns. Again, all the stone is just massive in scale.

The structure has a large central room with adjoining rooms on both the east and west sides. The south side of the structure has the remains of columns that appears to once have supported a wood beam roof, along with an unrestored stairway. It is always special to note the remains of 1,000 year-old original stucco that still clings to these ancient structures.

An interesting observation here were the numerous butterflies that circled among the ruins of Structure 3. They make an audible clicking sound as they chase each other about.

A pyramidal structure, Structure 5, is located just north of the archaeological zone on church property and forms part of what is here called the North Group. It is in an unrestored condition and rises about 30 feet/9 meters in height. It borders on the road across from a sports field. A much larger structure, Structure 4, is immediately to the east. This huge pyramidal platform measures about 243 feet/74.25 meters by 194 feet/59 meters, and housed two main pyramid temples the larger set on the north side of the platform. This temple rose to a combined height of around 38 feet/11.5 meters. An extended staircase is located on the south side of the platform.

In the opposite direction a sacbe leads south from the Grand Plaza a distance of around 727 feet/221 meters, where it takes an east course another 638 feet/194 meters to what is here called the South Group. Along this sacbe are the remains of a small platform with what might be a fallen stela, and further on passes across the remains of what may have been a low platform base for a structure of a perishable nature.

The South Group is in an unrestored state, and heavily forested. It is set on a very low plaza base. The east side of the plaza has the unrestored remains of a long palace type structure, Structure 6, that measures about 140 feet/43 meters in length at its base. One of the more significant structures atop the base measures around 50 feet/15 in length. This has a corbeled roof that has mostly collapsed except for the north and south ends. Each end contains a single corbeled room. The rest of the structure is in too ruinous a condition to provide any further information. Across the plaza on the west are some remains, but again too destroyed and forested to make any determination. The northwest corner has a small platform. There are numerous other structures as well that were once part of this group and when information on these structures becomes available, they will be reported on here.

A notable feature at the South Group is the terminus of the sacbe that arrives from the great center of Izamal 20 miles/34 kms to the east. It is located just to the north of Structure 6, and appears to pass by the small sites of Xemna (4 miles/6.4 km to the northeast), then to Stpach (8.65 miles/14 km) before turning to the southeast towards the modern town of Citilcum (11.2 miles/18 km) and on to Izamal.

There are several groups and numerous individual structures that are located within and without the archaeological zone, some connected by short sacbeob. A fine site to spend the afternoon.

updated November 2026.

old henequen factory steve mellard