Belonging to the Early Classic to Late Classic periods, approximately from 400 to 1300 A.D., the Archaeological Zone of Ranas is one of the most beautiful and important in Queretaro. Located in the Sierra Gorda, at one of the highest points in the municipality of San Joaquin, this town inhabited by priests, according to the vestiges found in the area, allowed the control of the accesses and the exploitation of the resources of the surroundings, among which the extraction of cinnabar (with the greatest mineral wealth of the region), hunting and agricultural harvesting stand out.

Its inhabitants planned the city from the selection of the site to the efficient use of the land and the location of its buildings; these total more than 180, including two ball games.