The Mayan Mysteries quest is one of the best reasons to explore every corner of Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced. Scattered across 16 Mayan stelae ruins throughout the Caribbean, each Mayan Stone sits behind a short but satisfying puzzle. Collect all 16, return to Tulum, and you walk away with the Mayan Armor — an outfit that deflects bullets, which is as useful as it sounds in a game full of musket-toting soldiers and naval ambushes.
How does the Mayan Mysteries quest work?
The quest kicks off automatically in Tulum once you complete the main story mission "Overrun and Outnumbered." James Kidd introduces you to the stelae during the main story, so the mechanic won't be completely foreign when you start hunting them down. You receive your first Mayan Stone through the mission "This Old Cove," but the remaining 15 are entirely on you to track down.
Once you unlock a viewpoint in any region, Mayan Stone markers appear on your map when you zoom in close enough. That makes viewpoint climbing a genuine priority before you start hunting collectibles in any new area.
Solving a Mayan stelae puzzle
How do you solve a Mayan stelae puzzle?
Every stelae puzzle follows the same structure. Climb to the top of the glowing pillar and interact with it. You'll see the surrounding ruins highlighted alongside a white figure projected on the ground below. Your job is to move and rotate that figure until every piece aligns with the circular markers on the ruins. The puzzle resets to its unsolved state each time you approach, so there's no partial-save mechanic to rely on.
The key thing most players miss: the figure needs to sit within the circles, not just near them. If you're struggling, slow down and check each piece individually rather than rotating the whole figure at once.
All 16 Mayan Stone locations
The table below covers the first 12 confirmed locations with exact coordinates. Three additional locations will be added as the game's full map is verified.
All Mayan Stone map locations
What's the reward for collecting all 16 Mayan Stones?
Once you have all 16 stones, head back to the Mayan Temple in Tulum, located in the Conttoyor region on the west side of the map. Use the stones to unlock the temple door and claim the Mayan Armor (also referred to as the Mayan Outfit). The armor's bullet-deflecting property makes it one of the most practical outfits in the entire game, particularly for late-game missions where enemy gunfire becomes a serious threat.
The Mayan Armor reward
Tips for hunting Mayan Stones efficiently
- Unlock viewpoints first. Mayan Stone markers only appear on the map after you've activated a viewpoint in that region. Skipping viewpoints means blind searching.
- Check the location hover text. Hovering over any discovered location on the map tells you whether it contains Mayan stelae puzzles. Use this to plan your route before sailing.
- Avoid Cape Bonavista during the prologue. The stone is physically present but uncollectable until after the quest begins. Returning later takes two minutes; getting confused about why it won't trigger takes longer.
- Misteriosa has two stones. Both sit close together but in different spots, so clear the area before leaving. The soldier near the southwest beach stone at (265, 171) is easy to miss until he's already alerted.
- New Bone requires patience. The soldiers near the northwest corner can be bypassed by hugging the northern border rather than pushing through the middle of the island.
For players working through the full collectible checklist, this quest pairs well with other side content. Check out our guide to all Templar Key locations if you want to unlock the Templar Armor alongside the Mayan Armor, and our all Data File locations guide covers another major collectible set spread across the map.
For everything else the game throws at you, the full AC Black Flag Resynced strategy guides collection has you covered, from hideout upgrades to diving bell rewards.