The central area of Calakmul, which corresponds to the 25 km2 of the archaeological zone, is formed by five major architectural complexes organized in a dispersed way around a central square that reflects through its styles and constructions the long duration of occupation of the city. To access the different architectural complexes, you have to walk about 1.5 km through the jungle from the entrance. Then, signs give you the option to go in different directions, corresponding to several circuits: a long circuit, a medium circuit and a short circuit. It is advisable to allow a minimum of three hours on site, or even the whole day for those who want to see all the architectural groups in detail. The short tour only allows you to visit the main buildings of the Plaza Central architectural complex, while the medium tour takes you to the Gran Acropolis and its Plaza Norte with the traditional ball field, and the long tour takes you to the adjoining residential areas. However, the signs are sometimes confusing and it is easy to get off the chosen route. The visit then becomes a wandering where you let your instincts run free. One always reaches without worry the central square, flanked by the structure VII on its northern side. It is there that was discovered the fabulous mask of Jade from now on exposed to the Museo Fuerte San Miguel of the city of Campeche. From the top of this pyramid of 24 meters of height one sees, a few hundred meters further, the heights of the structures I and II, this last one being considered as the emblematic building of the region.

The Petén style: it characterizes the civil and religious architecture corresponding to the eponymous region, straddling Guatemala and Mexico. Its period is earlier than that of the other architectural styles of the state of Campeche(Río Bec, Chenes and Puuc develop from 600 AD), since the Petén style reaches its fullness between 250 and 600 AD. This architecture is distinguished by its monumental character: the walls are formed by staggered bodies and the most imposing buildings are surmounted by large temples, all in one piece, surmounted by disproportionate crests. Steles and altars particularly well worked and sculpted are generally found in front of the emblematic buildings.