Hacienda y Ruinas de Ake
Hacienda y Ruinas de Ake
4.5
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About
Surrounded by fruit trees is the main house of San Lorenzo de Ake, that inside you can see three construction periods; beams in the ceilings of wood, iron and masonry. On one side of the main house of Hacienda you can see archaeological platforms possessing a special attraction, among them the Palace of the Columns, named for its pilasters and standing up against an esplanade, which has been stud
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Hacienda y Ruinas de Ake
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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Ole Bye
12 contributions
Sep 2022 • Couples
We rode our bicycles to Ake from a neighboring village and we were very excited and surprised by the beautiful sights in this quiet place. When you arrive in the central square, you see the hacienda immediately adjacent to a Mayan pyramid.
The architectural ruins of the henequen factory are just south of here and offer fascinating scenes of decaying machinery and crumbling facades - it's one of the most amazing industrial sites I've ever seen. You're not really supposed to tour it without a guide, and one of the guys from the more modern adjacent henequen factory came and shooed us away. I think he said we could tour the old factory for 150 pesos each but we opted for the Mayan ruins instead.
The office for the ruin complex is not the easiest to find and sometimes when people are pointing you towards something they don't always point in its direction. So, the office is a small white concrete box to the east down the alley runs along the south side of the henequen factory. We didn't see any signs. Just park near the henequen factory and walk east towards the pyramids.
A friendly man named Edwin was mowing the huge central lawn of the complex but stopped to come help us. We paid a small entry fee and enjoyed a leisurely exploration of the ruins, which are less extensive than bigger sites like Chichen Itza, but which were pleasantly quiet. While we were there only three other couples came in. I highly recommend climbing the tallest pyramid for the view and a nap. Through binoculars you can see several other pyramid complexes on the horizon. Edwin mentioned that much of Ake has not been excavated due to lack of resources for the work.
We wandered around the hacienda grounds looking for someone but didn't end up taking a tour. If your Spanish is as bad as mine you should go with an English speaking guide to get the full gist of what has been going on here at Ake for the last several thousand years. Our visit left me yearning to know more.
In summary, this is one of the most interesting places I've been in Mexico, and it's unfortunate for the businesses in this tiny town that more tourists don't visit. If you love quiet, unknown attractions and the ambiance of slow time, I'd make Ake a priority.
The architectural ruins of the henequen factory are just south of here and offer fascinating scenes of decaying machinery and crumbling facades - it's one of the most amazing industrial sites I've ever seen. You're not really supposed to tour it without a guide, and one of the guys from the more modern adjacent henequen factory came and shooed us away. I think he said we could tour the old factory for 150 pesos each but we opted for the Mayan ruins instead.
The office for the ruin complex is not the easiest to find and sometimes when people are pointing you towards something they don't always point in its direction. So, the office is a small white concrete box to the east down the alley runs along the south side of the henequen factory. We didn't see any signs. Just park near the henequen factory and walk east towards the pyramids.
A friendly man named Edwin was mowing the huge central lawn of the complex but stopped to come help us. We paid a small entry fee and enjoyed a leisurely exploration of the ruins, which are less extensive than bigger sites like Chichen Itza, but which were pleasantly quiet. While we were there only three other couples came in. I highly recommend climbing the tallest pyramid for the view and a nap. Through binoculars you can see several other pyramid complexes on the horizon. Edwin mentioned that much of Ake has not been excavated due to lack of resources for the work.
We wandered around the hacienda grounds looking for someone but didn't end up taking a tour. If your Spanish is as bad as mine you should go with an English speaking guide to get the full gist of what has been going on here at Ake for the last several thousand years. Our visit left me yearning to know more.
In summary, this is one of the most interesting places I've been in Mexico, and it's unfortunate for the businesses in this tiny town that more tourists don't visit. If you love quiet, unknown attractions and the ambiance of slow time, I'd make Ake a priority.
Written September 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter F
1 contribution
Feb 2024 • Friends
Six of us spent an amazing morning with Jose Martinez touring the historic Hacienda Ake, a historic hennequen processing facility and rope factory an hour’s drive outside of Merida. Jose was incredibly informative and patient with our limited Spanish, and was very enthusiastic throughout the tour, explaining everything we saw with detail and humor. The ruins of the original processing area are beautiful, as are the grounds of the Hacienda. The skill of the workers in the rope factory was impressive and it was inspiring to see the use of antique machinery that works perfectly to this day through careful maintenance. The tour was one of the highlights of our trip to the Merida area, highly recommended!
Seis de nosotros pasamos una mañana increíble con José Martínez recorriendo la histórica Hacienda Ake, las instalaciones de procesamiento de henquén y la fábrica de cuerdas. José fue increíblemente informativo y paciente con nuestro limitado español, y estuvo muy entusiasmado durante todo el recorrido, explicando todo lo que vimos con detalle y humor. Las ruinas del área de procesamiento original son hermosas, al igual que los terrenos de la Hacienda. La habilidad de los trabajadores de la fábrica de cuerdas fue impresionante y fue inspirador ver el uso de maquinaria antigua que funciona perfectamente hasta el día de hoy gracias a un cuidadoso mantenimiento. El recorrido fue uno de los aspectos más destacados de nuestro viaje al área de Mérida, ¡muy recomendado!
Seis de nosotros pasamos una mañana increíble con José Martínez recorriendo la histórica Hacienda Ake, las instalaciones de procesamiento de henquén y la fábrica de cuerdas. José fue increíblemente informativo y paciente con nuestro limitado español, y estuvo muy entusiasmado durante todo el recorrido, explicando todo lo que vimos con detalle y humor. Las ruinas del área de procesamiento original son hermosas, al igual que los terrenos de la Hacienda. La habilidad de los trabajadores de la fábrica de cuerdas fue impresionante y fue inspirador ver el uso de maquinaria antigua que funciona perfectamente hasta el día de hoy gracias a un cuidadoso mantenimiento. El recorrido fue uno de los aspectos más destacados de nuestro viaje al área de Mérida, ¡muy recomendado!
Written February 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vyana P
Miami Beach, FL25 contributions
Aug 2024 • Family
We went on a Saturday morning and were fortunate to have the ruins to ourselves and really be able to spend time understanding the meaning of Mayan history. Upon entering Mr. Jorge Luis gave us a small map explaining the layout of the ancient city and that was very helpful. We could not enter the hacienda but we saw it outside and it looks worth the tour.
Automatically translated
Written August 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
R P
San Jose, CA419 contributions
Jan 2021
As of today - 1-10-2021 site was closed because of covid.
I don't know if there was a hacenida tour but those gates were closed too. So we took pictures from the gate and poked around the factory. Part of it is still un use.
I don't know if there was a hacenida tour but those gates were closed too. So we took pictures from the gate and poked around the factory. Part of it is still un use.
Written January 10, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ron S
New York City, NY5,930 contributions
Dec 2017 • Family
If you drive west on Rt 180 it's very easy to miss the turn onto the road to Ake as there's no clear sign there. If you do miss it, there's a turn-around (returno) some 500 m ahead and when you make a u-turn onto eastbound R180 you will see a huge sign pointing left to Ake. The road to the town, though paved, is small and has huge potholes. Besides, at the entrance to the town there's a terrific sudden speed bump which damaged my car's bumper. So drive carefully. When in town, the site is easy to find. Drive to the left after passing the factory on your left to the very gates of the site. Chances are you will be the only one there except for a friendly attendant. Entry fee is 40 pesos.
The site is comparatively small. The temple with round columns on top is interesting.
OT: I stopped writing reviews on TA since past summer as TA editors, being the great minds that they are, deleted some of my reviews as "inappropriate" even though some of those were marked as helpful by other TA readers. But TA editors in their infinite wisdom know better what's appropriate. So from now on I will write reviews only when the info may be important and extremely helpful to other members.
The site is comparatively small. The temple with round columns on top is interesting.
OT: I stopped writing reviews on TA since past summer as TA editors, being the great minds that they are, deleted some of my reviews as "inappropriate" even though some of those were marked as helpful by other TA readers. But TA editors in their infinite wisdom know better what's appropriate. So from now on I will write reviews only when the info may be important and extremely helpful to other members.
Written January 2, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sjacobs143
new jersey53 contributions
Jul 2016 • Friends
This will never approach the majesty of Chichen Itza or Uxmal, but if you are looking for a trip to take while staying in Merida or nearby towns, I HIGHLY recommend this spot. Please realize that these will never rival the better known ruins, so if you're looking for something better known or if this is your first time visiting local archaeological sites you might want to skip this spot, but for anyone who has visited the region enough to be searching for hidden finds, this is worth checking out. Even my friends who were born and raised here were highly impressed. The ruins, although not large, are worth the trip. For one thing, there were hardly any visitors when we went, which meant it was possible to take time to take as many photos as I wanted without feeling rushed or invaded. The construction seems more on the crude side when compared to Uxmal or Chichen, but it's incredible to think that the people who built these ruins were able to achieve even this level of sophistication given their lack of modern tools. It's possible to climb the pyramids, although the steps are a bit high, even for someone over six feet tall, like me. The nearby hacienda looks abandoned, but its beauty still lingers and offers anyone looking for photographic opportunities some real beautiful pictures. On Sundays, Mexican citizens don't pay an entrance fee. On all days, foreign visitors pay a modest 40 pesos (as of July, 2016).
Written July 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
richardbY2122AA
3 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
My wife and I went on a trip through Yucatan in search for a small retirement home. After searching and viewing a few fixer uppers homes we stumble upon an old colonial home in the small town of Ruinas De Ake. Ruins are incredible and should be visited, small and safe town, in fact most off Yucatan has been safe on all of our visits. Very affordable we fly in to Merida or Cancun and normally just rent a car. we often stay in what ever town we are in, normally hotels can range $25-60 USD and are nice and safe, and off course more expensive if you will. we often travel and get our bang for the buck spending most of our money on food, shopping etc. Trip Advisor is a very good source and I have used them often. Hopefully once we move down there, maybe we can jump start the small village. All I want is peace and quite and I think I found it.. Safe travels and again I would highly recommend Trip Advisor. Richard B
Written August 21, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dave Bloch
Progreso, Mexico184 contributions
Jun 2017 • Friends
This Trip Advisor entry implies that you have to tour the Hacienda and the ruins if you visit. But the ancient Maya ruins can be easily visited on your own, 7 days a week, 40 pesos (US $2.30 at this writing) per person. Find and print some information on the Web to bring with you.
This is a small site, but there are three substantial buildings and it is OK (and a challenge) to climb them. In particular, go up the one immediately to your right as you enter, and you'll find a little park up there, with a round stone hole that might have been a cistern a thousand years ago.
Aké is about 10 minutes north of the main Merida - Cancun highway, so if you're on that road and have an hour to spare, make a visit!
This is a small site, but there are three substantial buildings and it is OK (and a challenge) to climb them. In particular, go up the one immediately to your right as you enter, and you'll find a little park up there, with a round stone hole that might have been a cistern a thousand years ago.
Aké is about 10 minutes north of the main Merida - Cancun highway, so if you're on that road and have an hour to spare, make a visit!
Written June 25, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Phil E
Minnesota957 contributions
Jan 2017 • Friends
A hacienda was constructed on the Mayan site - which was not open to the public. The Mayan site is called Ake (place of the reeds) and was settled in the late Preclassic period, and was connected (by road) to the sites at Izamal (20 miles away).
I agree with other reviewers, that this is an interesting site if interested in Mayan history, or history of the region.....however, if you are not "into" Mayan history and simply want to see one site, your time is probably better spent at a site like Uxmal, where many of the structures have been reconstructed.
I agree with other reviewers, that this is an interesting site if interested in Mayan history, or history of the region.....however, if you are not "into" Mayan history and simply want to see one site, your time is probably better spent at a site like Uxmal, where many of the structures have been reconstructed.
Written February 9, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hfulghum
Shoreline793 contributions
Feb 2016 • Friends
Didn't get into the hacienda, but we did go see the Ake ruins. These aren't particularly grand or large, not anywhere close to Uxmal or Chichen Itza. But you are likely to have the place to yourself, and you can climb the steps of a fairly good sized and very unique temple.
On the way into the site is a working sisal rope shop, that still uses 100 year old machinery in the neighboring factory - check it out. It looks abandoned and it is in admittedly terrible shape, but it's worth taking a peek. Just watch your step.
On the way into the site is a working sisal rope shop, that still uses 100 year old machinery in the neighboring factory - check it out. It looks abandoned and it is in admittedly terrible shape, but it's worth taking a peek. Just watch your step.
Written February 17, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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