La Quemada

La Quemada - "the burnt one," after the fire damage found in its halls - rises on a rocky hill above the Malpaso valley, and nobody is entirely sure who built it. Occupied roughly between 300 and 1200 AD, it sits on the frontier between Mesoamerica and the arid north, and has been attributed variously to Chalchihuites cultures, to Caxcan peoples, and by colonial-era imagination to the mythical Chicomoztoc of Aztec migration legend. What survives is impressive on its own terms: the Hall of Columns, a great roofed chamber whose eleven massive masonry pillars still stand; the Votive Pyramid, a startlingly steep near-vertical stack of flat stones; ball courts, terraces, plazas and, higher up, a citadel ringed by defensive walls, all connected to the valley by causeways whose lines are still traceable from the air. The climb up the hill is stepped and steady, and the summit view over the semi-desert explains the siting immediately. A good modern museum at the base does the interpretive work the mystery requires.

What you actually see

• The Hall of Columns - eleven great pillars still standing.
• The Votive Pyramid - the steep stacked-stone monument.
• The citadel walls - fortifications ringing the summit.
• The valley view - causeway country from the ridge.

When to go

October to April for cool climbing; mornings for light and shade on the ascent. The site is exposed with no shade at the top.

Honest expectations

The climb is steady but continuous, on uneven stone at 2,000 metres. Interpretation of who built it remains open - the museum is honest about the uncertainty. Facilities are limited to the entrance.

Nearby

Zacatecas city's silver-era centre is under an hour north; Jerez's charro town lies west.