The pre-Columbian hilltop pyramid complex of Monte Albán is a must see for anyone visiting the Oaxacan capital of Oaxaca de Juarez.
After visiting Teotihuacan a month prior, we thought we might be let down by Monte Albán. On the contrary!
Here’s why we think you should visit, and everything you need to know for planning your trip.
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Why Visit Monte Albán
There are dozens of archeological sites with pyramids scattered throughout central and southern Mexico. So why visit this one?
For one, Monte Albán is convenient—an easy 30-minute drive from the Zócalo (Centro Historico) of one of Southern Mexico’s most popular tourist destinations, Oaxaca de Juarez. Heck, if you know where to look, you can even see the pyramids from various points around town.
More than simply being a convenient attraction, however, Monte Albán’s location perched at the pinnacle of distinctive hill 1,300 feet above the valley floor. Why this particular location? It made it easily defendable against invaders, and served as a lookout point and stronghold for guarding the vast Valley of Oaxaca below.
On a clear morning like the one we visited on in early October, the views from the top of the pyramids are breathtaking, showcasing the majestic mountains surrounding Oaxaca de Juerez, and much of the Oaxacan capital, itself. And if you visit at the tailend of rainy season like we did, you’ll see the hill, valleys, and archeological site awash in a sea of green.
Speaking of views atop the pyramids, Monte Albán is also one of the few major archeological sites in Mexico we’ve visited where you can actually climb to the top of the major pyramid structures. At present, neither Chichen Itza nor Teotihuacan permits this.
Additionally, the ruins of Monte Albán are old. Very old. In fact, Monte Albán is considered to be one of the oldest cities in Mesoamerica, and was an important economic and ceremonial center for the Zapotec people for a whopping one thousand years. The hill, itself, has been inhabited since around 500 BC, and the pyramids are believed to have been constructed before 750 AD, when the entire city was mysteriously abandonded.
For many of these reasons, Monte Albán has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site (in conjuction with the historic center of Oaxaca de Juarez).
Finally, if you happen to be traveling with kids, Monte Albán is one of the more kid-friendly archeological sites we’ve visited, due to its relatively compact size, handful of climable structures, and close proximity to town.
Essential Info for Visiting
We’ll talk about how to get to the site in just a moment. But first, some of the basics for visiting.
Opening Hours
At present, the archeological site is open to visitors from 9am to 3:30pm daily. In terms of crowds, Monte Albán ain’t Chichen Itza. But we still recommend getting there as close to opening as possible.
Because of its compact size, the central plaza and surrounding pyramids can get fairly crowded (especially on weekends, Mexican holidays, and the cooler, dry months of December-February).
Also, the elevation (6,400 feet) combined with the lack of shade (it’s a wide-opened mountain top) means that the sun can feel pretty intense at times—all of this makes for a pretty strong case for arriving early.
Admission Fees
Entrance to the archeological costs MX$95 per person. Children under 13 are not charged.
Road Access/ Construction in 2024
This is an important detail as of October 2024 that we hadn’t seen written anywhere.
The last mile or so of the sole road leading from town to the archeological site is under major construction. At the moment, this means all vehicles (including tour buses and taxis) are required to park a mile away from the site and visitors are required to walk the final mile.
If you’re self-driving to the site and arrive later in the day, your walk may be even farther as the only parking at present is roadside parallel parking winding down the mountain. On the other hand, buses and taxis will drop you at the closest point that vehicles are allowed.
We did not see any accommodation for those with mobility challenges. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist, but that’s what we observed. The walk is a long, uphill slog with very little shade, so bring sun protection and water and prepare for a bit of a workout.
Keep in mind, this all may change by the time you visit. But if it’s a concern at all, it might be a good idea to ask one of the shuttle company respresentatives in the Zócalo in central Oaxaca prior to heading up there.
How to Get to Monte Albán
If you’ve got your own wheels, Monte Albán is pretty straightforward to access (with the exception of the last mile due to construction (see previous section)). Just plug it into your favorite map app and you should be good to go.
Lori and I didn’t have our own transportation and struggled a bit to figure it out how. Now that we’ve done it, we can say that it’s actually pretty easy.
Guided Tours & Day Trip Packages
Of course, the easiest way to visit Monte Albán is on a guided tour or package day trip. We highly recommend going this route if you’re pressed for time, want to get the most out of your visit, would like to see multiple attractions in one day, or if your Spanish is rusty.
Below are our recommendations for the tours we’d book online if we were doing the day trip again.
✪ Top Pick Full-Day Small Group Tour to Monte Alban & Beyond
✪ Quick Trip Monte Alban Guided Half-Day Tour from Oaxaca
✪ Private Tour Full-Day Private Tour to Monte Alban, Hierve el Agua & More
The Taxi Route
Uber is banned in Oaxaca State, so we looked into hiring a taxi for the four of us, but this option was more than we wanted to spend simply for transport. We shopped around and the best quote we got was MX$250 each way.
We were told that taxis are often problematic because most drivers won’t want to negotiate a couple of hours of wait time while you’re at the park, and finding an available taxi to take you back to town afterwards can be a challenge.
Shuttles from Centro Historico
For us, taking a tourist shuttle from Centro Historico to Monte Albán ended up being the most economical option. These shuttles are sanctioned by the Oaxacan tourism board, and there appear to be a couple of companies offering departures every hour.
Monte Alban Shuttle operated by Lescas Co. Tours seems to be the most popular mini bus shuttle, departing from Centro Historico every hour (on the 0:30) from 8:30am to 2:30pm, and return service from Monte Albán every hour starting at noon, with the final journey departing the ruins at 5pm.
Tickets can be purchased from the reps who hang out in front of the Catedral Metropolitana de Oaxaca Nuestra Señora de la Asunción (Oaxaca Cathedral). Look for the white hats and lanyards. Roundtrip fare is currently MX$100 per seat (regardless of age).
Shoestring Options
Unless you’re planning to bike up the hill (or drive your own car), there does NOT appear to be an ultra-shoestring transport option (i.e. public buses or collectivos) that doesn’t involve a lot of walking.
The public buses to Alamos/Atxompa can drop you at the bottom of the hill (Carretera a Monte Albán), but it’s about an hour long walk up the hill from here.
When to Visit
Monte Albán is open year-round, and any month is generally a good month to visit.
With that said, rain is very likely between mid-June and mid-October, though most rainfall tends to happen in the afternoon. You can increase your chances of a dry visit during this season by arriving as early as possible.
Expect the hottest weather before and after the rainy season (April/May and October/November), and the most comfortable and driest conditions to be from December through February.
Busiest times of year tend to be December and January and the Mexican school holiday (mid-July through the end of August).
What to Pack
We don’t have any secret tips for packing, just your basic essentials for a day trip in the Mexico highlands.
In rainy season, pack an umbrella, rain jacket, or poncho (and bug spray). Year-round, take steps to protect yourself from the sun and heat (e.g. sunscreen, hat, ample amount of drinking water). The archeological site isn’t massive, but you should plan to do a fair amount of walking, so comfortable footwear is a must.
OPtional Hiking poles might be worth bringing for some visitors. Binoculars might be worth bringing to take advantage of the panaramic views. Snacks are available just outside the gate, but bringing your own might be preferable if you’re wanting something light and healthy.
Our Monte Albán Experience
We had a great time visiting these ancient pyramids and the archeological site that surrounds them. It’s been one of the highlights of our time in Oaxaca so far, and we’d do it again in a heartbeat when we find ourselves again (this is actually Lori’s SECOND visit to Monte Albán—she first visited 15 years ago).
We did the day trip on a Thursday in early October. Shortly after 11am, we headed to the cathedral, where we bought our tickets from the Lescas reps, waited about 15 minutes, then followed the rep for a couple of blocks to the shuttle pickup for the 11:30am departure.
There were three other passengers in our mini bus and it was a comfortable, air-conditioned journey through town and up the hill taking about 30 minutes.
As mentioned above, the shuttle was only able to drop us off within a mile of the front gate/ ticket booth due to construction. The walk up the hill was a bit of a slog that took us about thirty minutes. If the construction is still going on when you visit, you’ll want to factor this into your trip down the hill to catch the return shuttle to town.
There was no line at the ticket booth, and we opted to do the tour on our own (though there were a couple of guides offering their services at the front gate). There are restrooms near the gift shop and another set inside the main complex.
After making our way through the main gate, we followed the arrows pointing to the right and explored the archeological site in a more-or-less counter-clockwise circle. The entire complex measures about 700 meters long (north to south) and 200 meters wide. Much of the site around the core has been left unexcavated.
The first pyramids we encountered was a somewhat small, yet impressive collection of three, which also appeared to be the most completely excavated structures in the park.
We couldn’t ascend the north and west pyramids, but the eastern pyramid is open to visitors to ascend, offering some of the best views in the complex.
From here, we descended into the first of two Sunken Ballcourts once used for sporting matches, before continuing on south into the Main Plaza.
To the north of the main plaza once stood a large pavilion complex. The base of the sizable columns can still be seen on top of the mound.
At the very southern edge of the complex is the very large and partially unearthed Southern Platform that you can climb to the top of. The steps are pretty steep, but there is a rail on the right side.
The perch at the top offers commanding views of the archeological park looking north. Be sure to walk around the perimeter of the platform for panaramic views of the Valley of Oaxaca.
On the way back to the main gate, we hugged the eastern edge, which took us past a few more platforms and the second ballcourt.
Noe had a lot to write about for his road school assignment. Fortunately, he loves this kind of thing. His younger brother wasn’t much into the history, but enjoyed climbing the pyramids.
We spent around two hours exploring the archeological park and felt that was a good amount of time for a self-guided tour.
Afterwards, we made our way back to the shuttle, which took us about 20 minutes heading downhill, making it about ten minutes before the 3pm return.
We were also told the tickets are flexible, and you can take any of the company’s return shuttles from Monte Alban (see schedule, above).
Where to Stay
There aren’t a lot of accommodation options near Monte Albán, and honestly you probably wouldn’t want to stay near the archeological site—located up on a hill overlooking town—anyway. Not when Oaxaca de Juarez, one of Mexico’s most alluring highlands capitals is at your feet.
Both of our hotel recommendations are located in the heart of Oaxaca City, which puts you in easy walking distance to the best restaurants and sights in town, and about 20-30 minutes from the Monte Albán parking area.
✪ Our Top Pick Hotel La Casona de Tita is centrally-located in Oaxaca Centro, offering super comfy and charming rooms and lots of amenities.
✪ Mid-Range Pick Hotel Las Mariposas is also located in Oaxaca Centro, steps away from the city’s major attractions.
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