Mexico, Part 6: Coba

Never fear, my friends...the string of blogs about fish and rocks and palm trees is nearing its end. Thanks for sticking with me through these reports; I have a few more photos to share that I hope you'll find interesting. Today's installment covers our visit to Coba, perhaps the most enjoyable of the Mayan cities we visited.

Pyramids, sports arenas, astronomical observatories, and what were probably the Mayan equivalent of office parks were spread throughout the jungle. Some structures had been restored, while others remained partially (or completely) covered by the encroaching vegetation.

Thatched roofs are common throughout the Yucatan. I have no idea if the original residents of Coba used leaves instead of shingles, but there are currently thatched roofs protecting certain artifacts within the park. Large carved monoliths still contain faded pictographs that give clues about the culture and history of the area. According to our tour guides, the stories support the legends about decapitory sports competitions and the admiration of feathered snakes and jaguars.

Documenting your culture in stone does seem like a dandy way to avoid losses from fire, mold, and Y2K. But all I could think about when looking at these rocks was Also Sprach Zarathustra and bone-whomping chimpanzees. Hmm. I probably wouldn't be a very objective archaeologist.



Anyway, the sports arena certainly did resemble the one at Chichen Itza, though at a smaller scale. Apparently the Mayans didn't standardize their playing field dimensions, like we do with football. I guess their hip-kicking, rock-circle-target, chop-off-yer-head arenas have more in common with our baseball parks. There would definitely be a home-field advantage against visiting teams.



Because we had a strict bus schedule and a large area to cover, Claire and I chose to rent bicycles so we could cover more ground. The rental bikes were all horrid rust-bucket contraptions that probably hadn't been lubricated since Coba was originally inhabited. But we still had fun riding around and having access to more of the ruins.





Though everything about Coba was impressive and fascinating, the highlight of the tour was the giant pyramid that they let us climb! The stairs were narrow and steep, and they had a gym rope draped across the stairs to serve as a makeshift banister.

Did Claire and I make the climb? Of course we did; why would you even ask such a question? It kinda reminded me of running stadium steps while training for the KU swim team...but these stairs were tiny and asymmetrical. It wasn't that hard to make the ascent, but you'd have to be pretty careful on the trip back down.



The top of the pyramid was the highest point in the entire region, and we could see for miles. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything to see other than the tops of the jungle vegetation. Still, it was very cool to be up there. (By the way, the strap around my waist is a camera-securing harness. Makes travel with the camera a LOT easier.)



Looking down the steps from the top was a little scary. One ill-chosen foot placement and you would roll a LONG way over pointy stones. Caution seemed prudent, but unlike what you'd expect in the US, there were no warning signs, elevators, safety personnel, or any indication of official concern. And yes, there were a couple of hardy athletes who were running up and down.



Most folks did take advantage of the rope. And yes, it IS as steep as it looks. Unfortunately, if our guides told us what they think the pyramids were used for, I managed to forget what they said. I suspect they served some purpose beyond giving people a happily large piece of limestone playground equipment.



Once back on solid ground, we hopped on our rickety bikes and boogied back to the bus. As night descended, we slept on the bus until they stopped to pass us off to a hotel shuttle that took us back to Villa del Palmar. Our tour of Mayan culture had come to a pleasant end. The only other off-site adventure we had planned was the next day's excursion for snorkeling at Cozumel. Would the weather cooperate, or would the intrepid explorers be forced to conjure up interesting activities while confined to the hotel beaches? Tune in tomorrow to find out. Have a great day!