Costa Maya, Bacalar & Chetumal
Chacchoben Maya ruins
Walk through the forest to the temples of Chacchoben, "the place of red corn", a Maya city of southern Quintana Roo.
Nobody knows what the ancient Maya called this city, so it takes the name of the local ejido: Chacchoben, which INAH translates from Maya as "place of red corn". People lived here from about 300 BC, and the city took its present urban shape around AD 250. Its buildings mix the Petén, Río Bec and Chenes styles, and it was partly resettled between about 1200 and 1450.
Your guide walks you through the site at an easy pace. Back at the ship with time to spare. Tell us your ship and all-aboard time.
Pickup at the Costa Maya cruise port or your hotel in Bacalar.
Photos: P. Hughes, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Duration
- About 5 hours
- Guide language
- English · Spanish
- Pickup
- At your hotel in Costa Maya, Bacalar & Chetumal (other areas on request)
What's included
- Private transport with hotel pickup
- Guide
Not included
- Entrance fees, meals, equipment and boat: to be confirmed when we reply to your request
Sample itinerary
- 1Pickup at the cruise port or your hotel
- 2Drive to Chacchoben
- 3Guided walk through the archaeological zone
- 4Return to your ship or hotel
Good to know
When is the site open?
INAH lists Chacchoben as open Monday to Sunday, but its own pages currently give different closing times (15:00 or 17:00, checked September 2026). We confirm the hours when we reply to your request.
What does "Chacchoben" mean?
According to INAH it means "place of red corn" in Maya. It is the name of the ejido where the site lies; the city's original name is unknown.
