Cañada de La Virgen Pyramid Tour: Insightful Journey with an Archaeologist
4.9
693 Ratings
San Miguel de Allende
Embark on an insightful journey with an archaeologist at the Cañada de La Virgen Pyramid. Discover ancient Mesoamerica, local legends, and cultural wisdom on this must-do tour.
Duration: 4 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Canada de la Virgen - The best way to visit the Cañada de la Virgen is with an expert guide. Along the way, Albert will share his knowledge of cultures of the Bajio region, including the Otomi people and other Mesoamerican cultures. After visiting the Welcome Center, we will walk a total of approximately 3 kilometers (2 miles) together, taking the same path as the ancients. Albert will show you recent discoveries at the archaeological site and you’ll be able to climb to the top of the pyramid. Along the way, you will see the impressive landscapes as your mind goes on a journey. You will leave with a more thorough knowledge of this wonderful, historical site.
What's Included
  • Complimentary bottled water
  • Comfort with in-vehicle air conditioning
  • Inclusive of all fees and taxes
  • Expertise from a federally-licensed guide
Additional Information

As I (Albert Coffee, vaccinated) guide you through this magical place, where I had the privilege of participating during the 2004 excavation field season, I’ll share what I have gleaned through personal hands-on experience & years of study about ancient Mesoamerica, the legends & wisdom of local people.

I am a graduate of Louisiana State University and federally licensed tour guide. This special tour includes years of documented legends, wisdom & memories of the elders of the ranch communities on and around the historic location. You will hear about each place and its cultural significance as you journey along the path the ancients took to reach the pyramid.

I’ve taken 20,000+ people on tours since the site opened to the public in 2011. My passion is relating information that is just coming to light in an area recently investigated in an enjoyable way. I hope to see you soon.

This is ‘a must do while you’re here…!’

‘An experience that can’t be missed.’

‘Don’t get left behind.’

Location
St. Paul's Church / Iglesia Anglicana de San Pablo
El Cardo
We meet in front of St. Paul's Church (Iglesia de San Pablo) on Cardo Street. It is a short walk from Centro and any taxi will know how to get there. Please call with any questions
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.9
(693 Ratings)
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Sanjivtx
Mar 29, 2024
Must do tour in San Miguel de Allende - Do not miss this if you are going to San Miguel de Allende. The tour was very well organized. Things ran on time and very smoothly. Albert was very knowledgeable, an amazing guide. The site itself is incredible. The tacos at the end of the tour were a nice surprise and delicious (there were vegetarian options as well, which was fantastic). Highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amisha_s
Mar 29, 2024
A Must Do When Visiting San Miguel - Albert was a great guide. He not only has a deep knowledge of the area & archeology, but is funny as well. Everything was very well coordinated and ran exactly on time. While our group was fairly large, it did not take away from our ability to hear, learn & experience. We also really enjoyed the tacos after the tour which was a nice unexpected bonus. It was a nice diversion from the typical cultural experience of SMA.
Review provided by Viator
Summer
Mar 27, 2024
Perfect tour - Albert Coffee was an amazing guide. Incredibly knowledgeable, educational, and entertaining. The tour was the highlight of our entire trip.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Marilee_n
Mar 17, 2024
Awesome Tour - Albert’s incredibly concise recount of the entire history or Meso America. Everything was great! Make sure to go.
Review provided by Viator
Happyellen
Mar 13, 2024
Terrific informative day trip! - Albert was an amazing source of information! He was great, the taco lunch was just right, and the entire day was exactly as expected.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Michaelrr1942qx
Mar 12, 2024
We really enjoyed the day. - Interesting archeological site.Albert Coffee does a good job, considering the time constraints imposed by the landowner. (it's on private property). If you appreciate such things this is a must when in SMA.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Amy_m
Mar 21, 2024
Great guide with rude office personnel - The tour should have been a 5 star review as the tour guide was amazing and informative. Albert was very passionate and willing to share his extensive knowledge of the pyramid and the surrounding area. I could have listened to him all day! That being said, we were very disappointed with the beginning part of our day. We were met at the meeting spot in San Miguel (30 mins away from the site) by a driver and 3 other small taxis. There were 13 of us. We were expected to split up from the people we were traveling with in order to fill the cabs. When we spoke up about the need for another cab so we could remain with our friends and people that we knew, I was handed the phone by one driver and was told to speak about out concerns to someone at another office. The person on the phone was extremely rude and confrontational and tried to make it appear that the whole thing was my fault for not listening. I put him on speaker phone so that the whole group could hear and they all agreed that his response to the situation was not appropriate. It was clear to us that another taxi needed to be ordered. One of the group even offered to pay for another taxi himself to avoid the tight fit with complete strangers. It was not a great way to start our tour that I was so looking forward to. There were other people who had booked the same tour (not through Viator) with Albert who were met in town by a mini bus. We were told we would be transported in air conditioned vehicles. This was not the case at all.
Review provided by Viator
2trvel
Mar 13, 2024
An impressive site worth visiting - The site is impressive and worth visiting!  Albert Coffee, the archeologist who leads the tour of this interesting complex, is knowledgeable about the people, land and pre-history associated with this fascinating site.  He shares information about the botany, astronomy, and engineering that have gone into this building and has everything organized like clockwork.  If you are an archeology enthusiast, you will find the delivery perfunctory-Albert has obviously given the tour many time and is rather bored by it: Much of the information is delivered as a rapid-fire patter.  On the bus to and from the site, it can be very difficult to hear him. (A voice magnifier would have been very helpful for anyone not sitting in the front rows.)   Also be forewarned that your time is on the site is limited, so there is no dawdling and we spent only 15 minutes in the small museum.  The tour requires considerable walking on rough paths, as a group, in a landscape that has very little shade: Try to select a relatively cooler day.  Also, be aware that you will be taking a taxi from the meeting point in town to the entrance of the site: The cabs were clean and had seat-belts.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nathan_m
Mar 16, 2024
Not a great tour - Not the best archaeological tour that I have been on. There were a ton of people and the logistics of getting to the meetup point and then to the site was not well planned out. The tour guide, who was a former archaeologist of the site, talked a lot in a very flat affect. He seemed knowledgeable about the site itself but when talking about the civilizations in general and how this site connected to them his claims were dubious. He wasn’t one for questions either. I would not recommend this tour. It was very superficial especially with such a large group.
Review provided by Viator
Gregwz483lg
Mar 23, 2024
Vastly disappointed - We booked well in advance, received multiple messages leading up to our appointed meeting point, arrived on time, and were COMPLETELY ABANDONED. NO SHOW, NO COMMUNICATION, NO NOTHING . This is our last day. We will not be visiting the site we most wanted to visit in SMA. Take the chance if you wish, or book a big group. We were the only ones waiting. Perhaps not economically viable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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1 Adult
May 2024
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