29 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

Maya Archaeological site for sale on Facebook has stirred controversy in Yucatán and across Mexico

Over 249 hectares of land for sale on Facebook Marketplace has sparked controversy in Yucatan and across Mexico.

The property, which was advertised on social media, contains the remains of ancient Maya structures within the Xkipche Archaeological Zone, a registered monument in the Archaeological Atlas of the state of Yucatán.

In response to this sale, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) is taking legal action against the private sale of the land containing the Mayan monuments of Mexico’s Yucatan.

The present owners of the land posted an advert on a Facebook group, stating that the site is being sold as a “ranch” with “18 paddocks”, and is “located ten minutes from the archaeological zone of Uxmal and has pyramids”.

They also stated that the land had previously been investigated by academic institutions between 1990 and 1997, as well as archaeologists from Bonn University in Germany working in collaboration with INAH from 2002 to 2004.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Photo: Social Networks/Arkasas

The property is listed for sale at a price of 18 million pesos or roughly one million USD.

According to Yucatán Magazine, the INAH is now preparing to take legal action to avoid the sale and perhaps even expropriate the property.

José Arturo Chab Cárdenas, Director of the INAH Yucatán Center, stated that a criminal complaint will be filed against the owners of said land for commercialization of archaeological monuments

The advert sparked outrage on social media and made national headlines across Mexico, stating that the sale would set a precedent, allowing private sales of archaeological sites for profit, and endangering the nation’s cultural heritage.

The site of Xkipche underwent reconstruction efforts in the late ’90s and was completed by the INAH in 2004 with the assistance of archaeologists from Bonn University in Germany. Photo: NOVADATES
The site of Xkipche underwent reconstruction efforts in the late ’90s and was completed by the INAH in 2004 with the assistance of archaeologists from Bonn University in Germany. Photo: NOVADATES

Owning property with archaeological remains on it is not illegal under Mexican law, but all archaeological remains are constitutionally the property of the federal government, making their sale impossible. The same goes for pieces of land with rivers, lakes, or cenotes, as all waterways are also government property under Mexican law.

The Puuc region is home to dozens of well-known archaeological sites open to the public, including Uxmal, Kabah, Sayil, and Labna, but it also has a plethora of others, the majority of which are on private or ejido land.

Related Articles

Terracotta Figurines of the ancient cult of the goddess Cybele discovered in Pompeii Domus

26 December 2023

26 December 2023

Archaeologists unearthed 13 terracotta figurines during recent excavations in the Domus adjacent to the “House of Leda and the Swan”...

5,000-year-old Settlement Unearthed in Al Mudhaibi, Oman

3 January 2023

3 January 2023

The Oman News Agency announced that a 5,000-year-old settlement was discovered during archaeological excavations at the Al Gharyein archaeological site...

The “Horoscope” Scroll Found In the Judean Desert: A Glimpse Into the Mysterious Sect

26 March 2024

26 March 2024

One of the most interesting and mysterious scrolls discovered in the Judean Desert is a scroll called the “Horoscope.” This...

Archaeologists have unearthed a trove of artifacts at the necropolis of Saqqara

9 June 2022

9 June 2022

Archaeologists at the necropolis of Saqqara, near Cairo, have discovered a cache of 250 complete mummies in painted wooden sarcophagi...

Ceremonial cave site from Postclassic Maya period discovered in Yucatán Peninsula

21 December 2021

21 December 2021

Archaeologists have discovered a ceremonial cave site in Chemuyil on the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico, that dates from the Postclassic Maya...

A Dancing Muses statue 2175 years old was found in the ancient city of Stratonikeia, known as the city of eternal loves

7 December 2023

7 December 2023

The latest discovery in the ongoing excavations in the Ancient City of Stratonikeia, known as the city of eternal loves...

Ancient Rituals and ‘Devil’s Money’: Elite Pagans’ Medieval Cult Site Unearthed at Hezingen

15 February 2025

15 February 2025

Researchers in the eastern Netherlands have uncovered a medieval cult site featuring structural remains and a hoard of gold and...

4,000-Year-Old Seal Found at Tavşanlı Mound in Western Türkiye

17 August 2024

17 August 2024

4,000-year-old seal were found at the Tavşanlı Mound (or Tavşanlı Höyük) in Türkiye’s Kütahya province—located in the west of the...

Gladiators were mostly Vegetarians and they were fatter than you may think

6 August 2023

6 August 2023

What better epitomizes the ideal male physique than the Roman gladiator? Gladiators were the movie stars of the first century,...

Israeli Archaeologists discover two shipwrecks filled with treasure

22 December 2021

22 December 2021

Israeli archaeologists have been discovered ancient artifacts and treasures amid the wrecks of two ships on the seafloor off the...

New Discoveries at Ancient Greek City of Paestum’s ‘Little Doric Temple’ in Italy

16 April 2023

16 April 2023

Archaeologists have made a series of extraordinary discoveries that may fundamentally alter the understanding of the past of the ancient...

Serbian Archaeologists Unearth Roman Triumphal Arch Dedicated to Emperor Caracalla

24 January 2024

24 January 2024

Archaeologists in Serbia have unearthed an ancient Roman triumphal arch dating back to the third century at Viminacium, a Roman...

‘Exceptional’ Viking Age silver treasure found in Norway

27 October 2022

27 October 2022

A treasure trove of silver fragments from the Viking Age has been discovered in Stjørdal, near Trondheim in central Norway....

Archaeologists find rare treasure in Suzdal of Russia

15 August 2021

15 August 2021

The twentieth season of fieldwork brought an unexpected discovery to the Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences....

Archaeologists Discover Hidden Roman Hoard in Romania’s Oldest City

18 September 2025

18 September 2025

The National Museum of Romanian History (MNIR) has announced groundbreaking archaeological findings at the ancient site of Histria, one of...