Merida / Coba / Tulum

Take a Mountain Bike Tour through the Mayan Ruins of Cobá.

Cobá is a very special site just simply because it's a little bit out of the way. The extra effort in traveling and getting there puts off enough tourists to keep this site pleasurably peaceful. This site was populated and used for agricultural purposes as far back as 600 BC.

Some archaeologists calculate that during the eighth century, an estimated 20,000 structures housed a population of approximately 55,000 inhabitants. It bears numerous hallmarks of a major regional center; areal size, size and number of structures, inter-and intra-site sacbes, dated stelae, and ball courts.

The expansion of Cobá is clearly visible in the physical remains of sacbes, including 50 intra-site roads as well as the longest known Maya roadway, which extends 100 kms from Cobá to Yaxuna (near Chichen Itza) and a 16 km long sacbe extending southwest from Cobá to Ixil. Folan estimated the urban area of Cobá at 63 sq.kms. These roads are the finest examples of the Maya mode of transportation anywhere in Mexico. While most of the stones have since been misplaced, the well-defined paths are unmistakable. You will enjoy a delicious lunch at the Villas Arqueologicas Hotel and then continue overnight to the walled city of Tulum, perched on the cliffs overlooking a stunning tropical paradise. (B-L)

Facts:

Some archaeologists calculate that during the eighth century, an estimated 20,000 structures housed a population of approximately 55,000 inhabitants in Coba.

Coba was thought to be an important trade center between Chichen Itza and the Caribbean / modern-day Guatemala in ancient times.

The longest road runs for about 45 miles and connects Coba to Yaxuna, another Maya settlement. These extensive network of roads all have Coba as their hub.

Tulum / Cancun Transfer Out

Just past the main entrance to the ruins is the "Temple of the Frescoes". The walls inside the temple are painted with a mural honoring the "Diving god" and the "goddess of corn". The Diving god is the most important god in Tulum, he is interpreted to be a god descending from the heavens to receive the offerings of men. The corners outside the temple are decorated with stucco masks.

The "Castillo" is the largest building on the site and it was once a temple and fortress. Like all of the buildings here it once was covered in stucco and painted. The top of the building served as a guide for boats looking for the one entrance through the reef into the harbor.

The "Temple of the Winds" is north of the Castillo and perched over the water. Rumor has it that it served as a warning system for hurricanes. Supposedly, the temple whistled when Roxanne reached hurricane force winds in 1995.

The famous American Traveler John L. Stephens visited Tulum in 1842 and wrote about his adventure while his British companion Frederick Catherwood made magnificent illustrations of many of the buildings. (B)

Continue to Cancun.

End of the Expedition.