Comalcalco

Comalcalco is a small city in the Gulf coast area of Tabasco, Mexico. It is a very old Maya community known as the westernmost city-state of the Yucatán Maya civilization. The archaeological site is the town's biggest draw, but a nearby biosphere reserve provides plenty of nature-watching opportunities and Comalcalco can be a great base from which to explore nearby scenic colonial churches in outlying villages.

Understand
The area around Comalcalco was sparsely populated up until about 500 AD when the first structures were built by the Maya. The town continued to grow until it was abandoned around 1000 AD. The modern town dates from 1820 when it was built on an area of the Mezcalapa River that had dried up. Today, it is small city with about 43,000 residents (2020).

The city's main economic activity is agriculture, particularly cacao, which has been grown in the area for at least 2,000 years. Comalcalco and its nearby villages account for 20% of the total cacao production in the state.

Get in
The nearest airport to Comalcalco is Villahermosa. It is about 1 hour by taxi or bus.

By car
It's about a 1-hour drive from Villahermosa to Comalcalco. From Villahermosa, go west on federal highway MEX-180 for about 25 km, then turn right on Reforma - Dos Bocas. Continue another 25-30 km to Comalcalco.

By bus
Buses between Comalcalco and Villahermosa operate every 20 minutes from very early morning to early evening. These buses are operated by Autotransportes Comalli Plus.

Several other bus lines operate "direct" routes from Villahermosa to Comalcalco, but direct isn't always very direct since they usually take a longer route than necessary so they can drop off passengers in the town of Cardenas, making the fairly short distance into a journey of more than an hour. Bus lines include AU (an ADO company) and Transportadora Turística del Caribe. Tickets from both companies start at M$40.





Get around
The town is small enough that you can easily walk to most places, but there are some interesting places to see in nearby villages and in the eco reserve north of town. Taxis are available near the zocalo but ride-hailing apps do not work in Comalcalco.

See



 * Santuario La Asunción de María (Ascension of the Virgin Church), Cupilco - In a country full of spectacular historic churches, it's hard to get "Wowed", but this church will do it. Spectacularly colorful and full of natural themes and indigenous patterns, the church feels very Mayan. The baroque architecture and the Christian crosses testify to its roots in Spanish colonialism, but the feel is very un-Spanish. The church is in a small village, about a 10-15 minute taxi ride from the center of Comalcalco, but an absolutely "worth it" side trip.
 * Reserva Ecologica Rio Playa, Ignacio Zaragoza (3rd and 4th sections) - large protected natural area with dense forests and criss-crossed by swamps and mangrove swamps. Great place for birdwatching, with more than 200 species of resident and migratory avians. Interesting place that is ejido land protected by the local indigenous community; it is not a government-operated reserve.

Comalcalco archaeological site
The first signs of significant human settlement in Comalcalco appear around 500 AD (late Classic period). The site includes nine major temples (pyramids) that are architecturally similar to the construction of Palenque, but with one huge difference: the people in Comalcalco used bricks and all other Maya cities were built using limestone. The bricks are similar to those used by modern masons in that they're fired clay, but they're flatter in shape, and the Spanish referred to them as comals, the typical flat iron pan used to heat up tortillas or roast chiles. Comalcalco thus earned its name due to the flat shape of its bricks, not to any ancient Mayan moniker.

The bricks are even more unusual in that many of them have carvings of animals or human figures. Who does that? Ancient Maya masons, that's who.

Comalcalco was home to a number of sculptors who crafted ceramic figurines from the same type of clay used to make bricks. Archaeologists have found sculptures made in Comalcalco at archaeological sites as far as 200 km from Comalcalco. Archaeologists also suggest that Comalcalco was an important producer of cacao, which was also traded inland and along the Gulf coast due to Comalcalco's strategic position on the Mezcalapa River.

The site is located on the north side of the modern town of Comalcalco. It is a well-maintained site, managed by INAH (Instito Nacional de Antropologia y Historia). A site museum contains several relics from the site and has interpretive exhibits that explain some of the site's historical significance.



Connect
Cell service is widely available in Comalcalco but mostly 4G as of 2023 with some areas of 3G on the road heading south. Service in nearby rural areas can be spotty.

Go next

 * Paraíso
 * Villahermosa