At the eastern end of Pisté, Pirámide Inn (Calle 15 No. 30, tel. 985/851-0115, www.chichen.com, US$4 pp camping) has a grassy garden for camping and several open-air palapas with concrete floors where you can hang hammocks. Shared bathrooms are clean, and you can use the swimming pool. The hotel rents hammocks for another US$4 a night, if you need one.

Posada Olalde (Calle 6 s/n at Calles 17, tel. 985/851-0086, US$23.25 s/d, US$26 s/d bungalow) is the best budget option in town. Rooms are no frills but they are brightly painted, have a shared porch, and face a leafy courtyard. The hotel also has four bungalows, which sound nice (and cost more) but are inferior to the rooms, with saggy beds, bad light, and a dank feel about them. The posada is a little hard to find—coming from Mérida, turn right on a narrow dirt alley across from El Pollo Mexicano restaurant. From there it’s two blocks down on the right.

Posada Flamboyanes (Calle 15 s/n, no phone, US$18.50 s/d with fan, US$21 with a/c) has only three small simple rooms, and the low price and welcoming pink exterior means they are often taken. Moreover, the caretaker is often running errands, leaving no one to attend the rooms. If you do manage to get one, it should be relatively clean and will open onto an airy covered corridor. Coming from Mérida, look for it on your right, just beyond the Hotel Chichén Itzá.