Daytrip to the ancient city of Cantona (from Puebla)

View of the ancient site of Cantona and with a vulcano in the background

The ancient site of Cantona is another very interesting place to see. It is located about hour and a half from Puebla, close to a town called Oriental. I had to wake up at around 6am or earlier in order to catch the morning bus to Oriental, from the main bus station in Puebla. It was still very early in the morning when I arrived to Oriental. From where the bus dropped me off in the town center, the colectivos to Cantona are just around the corner. However, they don’t go often because there are not many people who go there. Because I was the only passenger, I paid 100 pesos for the ride (20-30 kilometers distance), and arranged with the driver to pick me up here in case I don’t find someone who is going to Oriental or Puebla.

And so I started exploring this huge site. It is very unique because of its location in the desert, with cactus-like trees all around. The style of architecture is typical Mesoamerican, yet with some unique appearance. The site is believed to date to the first millennia AD, but it is unknown who has actually inhabited this huge city. Even though the archaeological zone is so large, it is thought that only some 10% of the ancient city has been excavated.