Last Updated on: 20th March 2024, 11:30 pm
Occupied from around 540-1050 AD by the Otomí civilization, Cañada de la Virgen is a small archaeological site located nearby the tourism hotspot of San Miguel de Allende. Excavations didn’t begin until 2002, prior to which archaeologists hadn’t realized what sophisticated cities existed this far north.
Cañada de la Virgen has gradually been gaining in popularity in recent years. But as we’ll cover shortly, visiting these ruins isn’t quite like visiting most other archaeological sites in Mexico.
Visiting Cañada de la Virgen
The original name of the Cañada de la Virgen ruins are unknown, so we now call them after their nearest geographical feature, which translates to the ‘Canyon of the Virgin.’
The name is oddly fitting, as the site may have been dedicated to goddess worship in ancient times.
While the ruins themselves are now controlled by the government, they sit within a large piece of private property, and all visitors must be accompanied by a certified tour guide.
If you show up at the site entrance on your own, site management should be able to provide a guide for you. But many people prefer to arrange a tour which also includes transport from San Miguel de Allende (learn more below).
Whichever option you choose, you fill first need to show up at the Visitor Center, about a thirty-minute drive (26 km) from central San Miguel de Allende. This is where the ticket booth and official museum are located.
To visit the actual site, you will then need to transfer to a private shuttle, after which your group will need to walk about fifteen minutes or so to the ruins.
Note that bags are strictly prohibited at the site, which has unfortunately seen instances of theft in recent years. The only items allowed (that can’t fit in your pocket) are a camera and a water bottle.
For this excursion from San Miguel, I booked a tour with archaeologist Albert Coffee, one of the most prominent experts on these ruins. And as soon as we began our scenic walk to the archaeological site, he began detailing both the site’s history and its religious significance to the ancients.
The ruins were accessed via 1 km-long causeway which began in the canyon. And while a group of elites likely lived full time in the ceremonial center, commoners would make religious pilgrimages here during important holidays.
Cañada de la Virgen is a rare west-facing site. So considering its orientation and the nearby canyon’s resemblance to a cave, the city was possibly consecrated to the underworld in pre-Hispanic times.
Finally, we arrived at the gates and the central pyramid soon came into view. But we’d save the pyramid for last, first visiting the various landmarks around the perimeter.
We were first led to the Native Bush Garden, where archaeologists have been growing shrubs used by the ancient Otomí inhabitants centuries ago.
The Otomí used shrubs for a wide variety of purposes, such as food, medicine, fuel, construction, utensils and more. The soil here has long been fertile, while the plateau on which the ruins stand was once home to a pond.
Interestingly, archaeologists based the design of the garden on the shape of a sun glyph found on a piece of pottery in Complex A.
Just nearby is Complex D, a circular structure that’s 22 m in diameter and 2.5 m high. As with many round structures throughout Mesoamerica, it functioned as a temple to the Wind God Ehecatl – another name of Quetzalcoatl, the Plumed Serpent.
Coming around to the other side, we encountered one of Cañada de la Virgen’s largest and most interesting structures: Complex B, also known as The House of the Longest Night. The spacious sunken plaza was constructed over three distinct phases and was built in alignment with the winter solstice.
The discovery of drainage ducts suggest this plaza saw a lot of flooding during the rainy season. But our guide Albert told us about a theory that the plaza was deliberately turned into a pool, with the water acting as a mirror of the night sky.
If true, picturing this whole space as a pool also brings to mind the Sacred Lakes of ancient Egypt or similar symbolic pools found throughout Cambodia.
Also within Complex D are the remains of a room with pillars, which may have served as a steam bath. What’s more, is that a burial was also discovered within.
Found decapitated, the deceased was buried with about twenty different vessels of pottery. As with other Mesoamerican cultures, the Otomí practiced cranial deformation as a way to denote royalty, and possibly even as a means to activate otherwise dormant parts of the brain!
Next, it was time for the main event: Complex A, or the The House of the Thirteen Heavens – home to the site’s main pyramid.
Albert explained to us that it was long assumed that no such pyramids existed at all this far north in Mexico, as this general region has long been associated with the semi-nomadic Chichimecs.
(It’s worth noting that the site of La Quemada in Zacatecas, which also contains pyramids, is located even further north, though who built it remains a mystery.)
Semi-nomadic peoples, of course, generally don’t bother to build such large and complex structures if they’re going to be moving for much of the year. But that clearly wasn’t the case here.
Confusingly, the Otomí and Chichimec peoples are closely related, but Cañada de la Virgen’s ancient inhabitants were likely Otomi who spent most of their time in the city.
In addition to the elaborate constructions, many of the structures, as mentioned, were built in alignment with significant astronomical phenomena.
Albert pointed out how at this site and many others throughout Mesoamerica, the main pyramid was built to resemble the prominent hill one could see along the horizon.
The pyramid stands at over 15 m high and features a temple at the top. Or at least it once did. Supposedly, the temple was blown up with dynamite by a local priest who suspected that traditional rituals were still taking place!
Fascinatingly, remains were discovered in the temple that may have belonged to an ancient ancestor who lived no less than a thousand years prior.
Also buried within Complex A are the remains of a female warrior. Archaeologists, in fact, suspect that Cañada de la Virgen was possibly a matriarchal society. And Complex A in particular was used to observe phases of the moon.
Cañada de la Virgen would eventually be abandoned around the 11th century – right around the time that the Toltec Empire, based out of Tula, Hidalgo, would become the dominant force in Central Mexico.
Thanks to its relatively recent discovery, we can be certain that there was indeed an advanced civilization that occupied this region for centuries. And it was possibly just one of many prosperous cities in the Central Highlands, with more discoveries surely on the way in the near future.
Next on the agenda was a return to the official museum, at which our guide had been promising a major finale to his presentation. But it turned out that a storm the night before had knocked the power out, and we weren’t allowed in. And the next part of the presentation never came.
After a quick lunch of tacos (not included in the tour price), we got back in the bus for our return journey to San Miguel de Allende.
As fascinating as the ruins and Albert Coffee’s stories were, at nearly $60 USD, this was far from a budget excursion. So was it worth it?
Additional Info
As mentioned above, the most straightforward way to visit Cañada de la Virgen is with a tour from San Miguel de Allende.
While there a couple of different options, the most well-known tour guide is Albert Coffee, with whom I attended the tour outlined above.
You can easily book a tour online ($59) here and cancel up to 24 hours in advance if your plans change.
You also have the option of making it to the site entrance on your own and then visiting the ruins with a guide provided by site management. I believe this should be included in the standard ticket price. But transport can be tricky without your own car.
While you should be able to find a taxi to take you from San Miguel, you’ll also have to pay for wait time, and you may not save much money in the end.
Or in other words, is paying nearly $60 USD worth it to visit these ruins?
I suppose Cañada de la Virgen is going to attract two main types of visitors. The first are people basing themselves in San Miguel for several days and who are looking for an interesting day trip. As San Miguel itself is not exactly a budget destination, $59 is not going to break the bank for a lot of people in this category.
But what if you’re a major ruins enthusiast who also happens to be on a budget? This is the category I fit into. And while I don’t regret visiting at all, I must say that I can think of dozens of archaeological sites throughout Mexico that are more interesting visually than Cañada de la Virgen.
Even if we’re just looking at the Bajío region, where ruins are relatively rare, the La Quemada ruins of Zacatecas are more interesting, easier to reach and much cheaper to visit (no guide required) than Cañada de la Virgen.
So if you’re hoping to save money, don’t think you’re missing out on anything too unique or special by skipping these ruins.
With that being said, if $59 is not going to break the bank for you, then visiting Cañada de la Virgen can make for a really enjoyable half-day trip.
San Miguel de Allende offers a wide range of accommodation options. While many of them would be considered expensive and high-end by Mexican standards, the town does indeed have some budget-friendly options as well.
Some of the highest-rated luxury options include La Valise San Miguel de Allende and L’Ôtel at Dôce18 Concept House, both close to the center.
For around $50 USD per night, Suites Santo Domingo is another popular choice.
And if you’re looking for something even cheaper, you can find numerous affordable Airbnbs within walking distance from the center – just be ready for a potentially steep climb!
The best way to reach San Miguel de Allende is by bus.
From Mexico City, there are several bus companies that operate regular routes to San Miguel from TAPO, with the ride lasting around 4-5 hours.
From Guanajuato, the journey takes about 2-3 hours, from León 2-3 hours, from Querétaro just about 90 minutes, and from Morelia 3-4 hours.
While San Miguel is indeed a popular tourist destination, it’s still a small town, so there aren’t as many buses running per day on certain routes as one might think. Therefore, it’s always a good idea to confirm schedules in advance, either at the bus station or online.
For those coming from further away, the nearest airports are in León or Querétaro, from which you’ll need to take a bus or hire a driver/rent a car.