The Zona Arqueológica El Rey occupies a low coastal site at kilometre 17 of Boulevard Kukulcán, almost lost between the giant resorts on either side. The 47 surviving structures — small platforms, a central plaza, and a low pyramid — date from the post-classic Mayan period (1200-1500) and probably served as a coastal trading and fishing settlement aligned with the larger sites on Cozumel and at Tulum.
The site is named for a stone sculpture of a Mayan ruler found here in the 1950s. Hundreds of iguanas now sun themselves on the warm stones — they are the unofficial mascot of the ruins. Open daily 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., admission a few dollars. The site is small (45 minutes is enough) and rarely busy, making it the easiest taste of Mayan archaeology without leaving the Hotel Zone.