It was built on one of the highest points in the city, a hill 1,220 m above sea level. The dimensions of the building and the strategic selection of its location are no coincidence. On the contrary, from this place its residents could have exercised greater political and social control over the common population, taking advantage of the visual impact of the structure itself, to reinforce their stay in power. The architectural design of the palace consists of a platform with a regular plan, whose major axis is 100 m long; the minor axis measures 65 m.

Originally, the tecpan of Yautepec must have been more than 10 m high. However, the rooms built on top during the last moment of occupation were razed almost to their foundations in the middle of the last century, mainly due to the adaptation of the area for planting. At present, the maximum height of the building is only 7 m (23 ft).