Coba- Archaeological Site

Spread across 80sq miles, riddled with lakes and ancien limestone roads and swallowed in undergrowth, Coba is the most mysterious Maya site in the Yucatan. For many explorers, it is also the most exhilarating, for here rose one of the largest, grandest cities of the Maya World; 20.000 structures testifies to Coba's greatness as a heart of commerce, worship and Classic period living. Archaeologists believe that some 40.000 people lived here.

Coba, situated about 40km northwest of Tulum, past jungle hamlets and hidden cenotes, is slowly being resurrected from the jungle. Less than 5% has been excavated, yet it is possible to spend days exploring the broad causeways, shady leaf-floored paths, hidden caves, and temples that hover high above the treetops. The soaring pyramids and and intrincate stelae found here are reminiscent of t he ruins at Tikal. Most of Coba's construction.

Coba rests amid five rippling lakes, a fitting setting for a place whose name means "ruffled water". During its heyday from 600 to 900 A.D., thousands of small houses were sprinkled around the lakes and through the forest, and 20 courtyards provided social hubs for an elite society. An intrincate network of sacbes, or ancient Maya highways, radiated out from Coba toward othe settlements. Today, over 45 sacbes survive. Also called "white roads" because of their white rock finish glows at night, the sacbes were probably more ceremonial than functional, since the Maya had no pack animals to carry their goods along these avenues.

Because of the distance between ruins, and because very little is unearthed, it's best to start with a guide. Several are available for a fee, near Coba entrance. From here, trails wind through the rainforest to marked ruins, many mere rubble heaps.

Off the main trail, the first set of buildings is the Grupo de Coba, fashioned around a sunken patio. Here stands the crumbly Iglesia, or church, pyramid with its rounded corners and superimposed platforms. At 78 feet, it is Coba's second-highest building. If you are skilled at climbing steeps steps, ascend to the top for a jungle panorama.

Further down the trail, the side trail leads to the Grupo de Pinturas, or paintings group, name for the drawings and hieroglyphs painted in a riot of colours.Thought to be from Coba's last period, most are now badly faded, thanks to centuries of sun, rain and looters. Here, a four-tiered pyramid is topped by a little temple with sun-bleached murals and inexplicable Postclassic inscriptions. A short stroll from here, the Maxcanxoc group rewards with stelae carved with detailed portraits and inscriptions.

Coba's most striking site is the 140-foot Nohoch Mul pyramid (located about half a mile northeast from Iglesia), the tallest in Nothern Yucatan, rising like an island out of a sea of trees. Its creators were obviously thinking of Tikal's pyramid when they dramatically placed 120 steps down the face of the building,crowning it with a small squat temple.At the entrance to the temple, there are carvings and the jungle view from here is mood-heightening.

Unlike Tulum, which is cooled by sea brezees, Coba gets hot. Try to visit in the morning or late afternoon.