Palace of Quetzalpapálotl

What is the Palace of Quetzalpapálotl?

The Palace of Quetzalpapálotl, the Palacio de Quetzalpapálotl, was built between 450 and 650 CE at the south-west corner of the Plaza of the Moon. The name joins quetzal and papálotl, butterfly. The pillars of its patio show quetzal birds, face on, with a butterfly on the chest.

The patio measures 9.80 by 8.20 m. Its pillars are carved in low relief with birds in profile and face on. The eyes of the birds are discs of obsidian, still in place. Holes in the pillars held the ties of curtains. The roof merlons carry the Teotihuacan year sign.

The largest serpent head yet found at Teotihuacan came out of this building, with a jaguar sculpture. The compound was an elite residence or an administrative building for rulers or high priests.

Is the Palace of Quetzalpapálotl original or rebuilt?

Rebuilt in large part: Jorge Acosta excavated and reconstructed the Palace of Quetzalpapálotl in 1962 to 1964, in the Teotihuacan Project. He found signs that the building had burned. Reconstruction was given priority over the dig.

Hundreds of new stones were carved to complete the pillars. Each new stone carries a small incision that marks it as modern. Look for the cuts next to the uncut originals. The roof is a reconstruction. The painted panels are the archaeologist’s reading of murals found in an anteroom.

A conservation project ran from 2009 to 2012. You may not touch or climb the structures, here as in the rest of the zone. Photography for personal use is free.

Patio of the Jaguars and Temple of the Feathered Conches

Behind and below the palace you find two more buildings, the older from the 2nd to 3rd century CE. The Patio of the Jaguars is on a lower level than the palace and of the same period.

The murals of the patio show jaguars with feathers blowing feathered conch-shell trumpets, under a border of rain-god faces. The paintings are on the lower walls. Only parts survive.

The Temple of the Feathered Conches is older. It was raised two or three centuries before the palace and then buried to make room for it. You walk down to the buried level from the jaguar patio.

The temple front carries reliefs of feathered conch shells on the central pilasters and four-petal flowers on the end ones. The platform below is painted with green birds in procession, water streaming from their beaks, on a red-orange ground.

How to get to the Palace of Quetzalpapálotl from Gate 3

From the gate: Gate 3, Puerta 3 on INAH’s map, 200 m and 3 minutes to the entrance of the Palace of Quetzalpapálotl. The metres and minutes are measured on the map, not an INAH figure.

Gate 3 is the west gate. You buy your ticket at the booth: MX$210 for international visitors and MX$105 with a Mexican ID. Sundays are free for nationals and residents; the tickets page lists the exemptions. Every gate has had bag checks since late April 2026. The toilets are at the entrance.

From the gate you pass the palace and reach the Pyramid of the Moon in 530 m and 7 minutes. The Plaza of the Moon is ringed by 13 platforms. The Puma Mural is about 100 m south of the plaza. It is on the east side of the Avenue of the Dead, the Calzada de los Muertos.

If you need step-free access, a ramp is about 500 m along a path from Gate 3, on INAH’s Accessible Trail. INAH’s Family Trail goes in at Gate 3 and out at Gate 5, 1.5 km in 1.5 to 2 hours. The palace is its second stop.

The bus from Terminal del Norte, the Terminal Central de Autobuses del Norte, drops you at Gate 2. The Museum of Teotihuacan Murals is at Gate 3, and your ticket includes it. It opened in 2001 and holds 73 pieces. Hours are 09:00 to 16:00; the museums page has all three.

When is the best time to visit the Palace of Quetzalpapálotl?

In the first hour: the gates open at 08:00, and INAH’s advice is to arrive between 08:00 and 09:00. The palace is 3 minutes from Gate 3, so make it your first stop. INAH puts the hottest hours at 11:30 to 15:30. Last entry is 16:30. The zone closes at 17:00.

By the sun: in at Gate 3 at 08:00, the palace and the two buildings behind it before 09:00, the Pyramid of the Moon next. Then 1.0 km and 14 minutes south to the Pyramid of the Sun, before the heat starts at 11:30. Water is sold at entrance 3 and at the Museum of Teotihuacan Culture.

Bring a reusable bottle, sunscreen and a hat. INAH lists Tuesday and Wednesday as the quieter days and tells you to avoid the spring equinox. The best time page has the full answer. The INAH visitor guide gives you the trails and the map.