Yaxchilán is not one sight but a whole jungle hillside of them: the Labyrinth, the Grand Plaza, Structure 33, the acropolises and dozens of carved lintels and stelae. Getting there takes you along the Usumacinta from Frontera Corozal, and almost every visit also includes Bonampak and its murals. Palenque, the waterfalls and San Cristóbal complete a Chiapas trip — and Tikal lies just across the river. Each place below has its own guide.
Things to See at Yaxchilán & Beyond
Eleven places that make the journey to the river city — from the boat jetty to the painted rooms of Bonampak.
Yaxchilán archaeological zone
Yaxchilán archaeological zone 
Yaxchilán archaeological zone Structure 33
The temple of Bird Jaguar IV
The masterpiece of Yaxchilán: a temple high above the Grand Plaza with a pierced roof comb, three carved lintels over its doorways and a hieroglyphic stairway showing the king playing the ballgame. Inside sits his headless stone statue.
Yaxchilán archaeological zone The Labyrinth
Dark passages and sleeping bats
Structure 19, known as El Laberinto, is a building of narrow corridors, stairways and chambers on several levels. Most visitors enter Yaxchilán through it — torch in hand, bats overhead — and emerge blinking onto the Grand Plaza.
Yaxchilán archaeological zone The Carved Lintels
Shield Jaguar, Lady Xoc and the vision serpent
Yaxchilán is famous for its carved stone lintels — the finest relief sculpture in the Maya world. The most celebrated, from Lady Xoc’s temple (Structure 23), are now in the British Museum and Mexico City, but dozens of others remain on site.
The Usumacinta & the Lacandon jungle
The Usumacinta & the Lacandon jungle Frontera Corozal & the Usumacinta
Where the boats leave for Yaxchilán
A Ch’ol Maya river town on the Usumacinta, the border with Guatemala. Long covered lanchas leave from its jetty for the trip downstream to Yaxchilán, and for Bethel and La Técnica on the Guatemalan side.
The Usumacinta & the Lacandon jungle 
The Usumacinta & the Lacandon jungle Lacanjá Chansayab
Sleep in the Lacandon rainforest
A Lacandon Maya community near Bonampak where families run simple cabins and camps by the Lacanjá river. Stay a night, walk jungle trails to waterfalls with a local guide and see Bonampak in the quiet early morning.
Palenque, Chiapas & beyond
Palenque, Chiapas & beyond 
Palenque, Chiapas & beyond Agua Azul & Misol-Ha
Turquoise cascades and a jungle curtain
Two classic waterfalls on the road between Palenque and the highlands: Misol-Ha, a single high fall you can walk behind, and Agua Azul, a long staircase of turquoise pools when the water is clear.
Palenque, Chiapas & beyond San Cristóbal de las Casas
The colonial heart of the highlands
A cool, colourful colonial town at over 2,000 m, surrounded by Tzotzil and Tzeltal Maya villages. Many travellers begin or end a Chiapas trip here; some multi-day Yaxchilán tours start from it.
Palenque, Chiapas & beyond Tikal (Guatemala)
Onward across the river
From Frontera Corozal you can cross the Usumacinta into Guatemala and reach Flores, the base for Tikal, in a day. It is the classic way to link Mexico’s Maya sites with the great city of the Petén.
A sensible five-day plan: Day one, arrive in Palenque. Day two, Palenque’s ruins in the morning and Misol-Ha in the afternoon. Day three, the early tour to Yaxchilán by boat and Bonampak (or the two-day version with a night at Lacanjá). Day four, the waterfalls of Agua Azul on the road up to San Cristóbal. Day five, Chamula and Zinacantán — or cross from Frontera Corozal into Guatemala for Tikal instead.
Plan your trip
Take the boat to the Maya city in the jungle
An hour down the Usumacinta, howler monkeys in the ceibas and the carved temples of the Jaguar kings — plus Bonampak’s murals on the same day. Compare Yaxchilán tours from Palenque and book in a couple of taps.