Coba

Coba' is about thirty miles inland from where we are staying. Its located around two lagoons, with a series of elevated stone and plaster roads radiating from the central site to various smaller sites. It was estimated to have 50,000 inhabitants at its peak and cover about 65 square miles. Only a small portion has been excavated. It was built in the middle and late Classic period, about 500 to 900 AD, with most inscriptions from the 7th century. Most exploration occurred after 1970, when roads were built into the area.

Even though this is part of the cool season - it was HOT. It is always hot away from the coast. I kept thinking, "How could they find the energy to build these structures in this stifling heat and humidity?"

Entrance to the Park was about 1/3 mile from the parking lot. Some people took bicycles or rode these contraptions. We walked.

Our guide was Miguel. Bilingual, with pretty good English. All guides have to be certified by the government and exhibit a good amount of knowledge about their subject area.

He related that the ancient cities were interconnected by roads which were raised and paved with packed limestone. Many of these roads are visible from space.

A key difference between European and Mayan architecture is the lack of a Roman Arc. This uses a keystone as the load supporting rock or brick at the top of the arch, allowing thin and graceful structures. The Mayans used increasing cantilevered stones in their arches, topped with a flat stone across others. A much more bulky and inefficient structure.



Several stone stele were uncovered, contributing greatly to decoding the language and understanding the history of the area. The Spanish Conquistadors effectively destroyed documents written on parchment.

All major towns had ball courts, where pok ta pok was played. Not for entertainment, but religious purposes. This is a small court, where two players from each team vied to bump a rubber ball through the circular goal, using only their hips and legs. It is unclear whether the winning or losing captain was sacrificed - or possibly a slave.

This tree, now part of the ball court, is called the tree of life. It's fruit has silky threads, allowing the Mayans to weave clothing, as cotton was not available.

This is the main temple -the front is uncovered and reconstructed.

The temple is the only one which is climbable by the public. Others, such as Chichen Itza, have been closed. Of course we had to climb this one...

Here is a view from inside the top temple room.

The view from the top goes for miles. Flat as a pancake, the Yucatan is low jungle. Any bumps or hills are very likely more ruins that have not been excavated.

Over the entrance door on the top is upside down man. Not sure what he represents.

Mimi descended the stairs on her butt. Having suffered some earlier minor injuries, she didn't want to add a fall down the stairs to the list. I didn't make fun of her either!

Next - Tulum...