Perry,

Almost all of the regulars on this site can give you information about many of the ruins. Some are much more expert than I am so I'll allow them to tell you specifics. I would suggest that you not stay in Cancun, but stay in Tulum or PDC. There are many nice resorts that are close to the sites, and you would not spend much of your day on a bus or in a car going to and returning from the sites. Locating yourself closer would allow you to visit a ruin site and still have much of your day at your resort.

I'd also like to welcome you to the board. You will find lots of very nice people here who have been to CARM many times. Stick around and you will learn alot for your trip, then when you get back you can write a trip report and start sharing your experineces with other people!

Merry Christmas!

JackS is the pro for ruins info. i've been to Chichen Itza (a Must for anyone wanting to do ruins) and Tulum (not nearly as impressive as other ruins, but has a view of the ocean that can't be beat!!). tim

If visiting Mayan sites is your priority, you might consider staying in Valladolid or Merida, rather than Cancun proper.

The "big three" in terms of popularity are Chichén Itzá, Tulum and Cobá. The latter two are about 75 miles south of Cancun (head 20 or so miles inland from Tulum to reach Cobá). Chichén Itzá is in central Yucatan, between Valladolid and Merida. North of Valladolid is Ek Balam, a lesser traveled but very nice site. Uxmal is best reached from Merida and should definitely be high on your list (thanks to JackS for making our tour of Uxmal possible!).

Scattered between are many other, smaller sites. Look for an old issue of National Geographic, that featured "La Ruta Maya" for a map of the Mayan civilization at its peak.

Still remaining on our "must visit" list are Palenque (in the Mexican State of Chiapas) and Tikal (in Guatemala).

Hope this helps. If you have any other questions, feel free to post me here.

Dave