Los Toriles is the reason to stop in Ixtlán del Río. The site preserves plazas, platforms, shaft-tomb culture, and the unusual circular Ehécatl-Quetzalcóatl temple, a form rarely seen in western Mexico.
The ruins are compact and easy to visit, with enough structure left to make the old ceremonial layout readable. Go in the morning if possible; the site is exposed, and the Nayarit sun can make even a short visit feel longer than it is.