Forty-two kilometers inland from Tulum, Cobá is one of the Maya World’s largest archaeological sites and has an extension of around 70 square kilometers. The city is clustered around five shallow lakes, which would have provided fresh water in ancient times, and its name in Maya means “waters ruffled by the wind.”The city reached its peak during the Mayan Classic period, A.D. 250-900, when it was a regional capital and an important trade center, distributing goods to and from the eastern seaboard, Central America and cities in the Yucatán. Commodities such as honey, beeswax, cotton, henequen, cacao and copal incense would have been bartered for sting ray spines, spiny oyster shells and salted fish from the coast and jade, obsidian, quetzal feathers and gold from Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and other parts of Central America.
Archaeologists believe that Cobá had links with the Guatemalan city of Tikal, pointing to certain architectural similarities in the earliest buildings at the site, for example, pyramids, false arches, lintels, huge, roughly cut blocks and a coating of stucco plaster which was painted red.Cobá also had ties to coastal cities such as Tulum and some lesser structures at the site are built in the East Coast architectural style characterized by small temples decorated with niche figures of a descending god similar to those found at Tulum and Xel-Há, smooth walls, flat roofs and walls that tilt outwards. Furthermore, the city was a rival of Chichén Itzá, preventing the southern expansion of its powerful neighbor.At its peak, Cobá was inhabited by up to 70,000 people. Unlike other Classic period cities that suffered a catastrophic decline and were abandoned for a variety of reasons including drought, famine and warfare, Cobá did not suffer the same fate and was still trading during the Post-Classic period (A.D. 900 – 1521), albeit with diminished influence.Exploring Cobá
Cobá is so vast that only a small area of the ancient city has been restored. Indeed, one of the thrills of a visit is exploring the trails through the jungle and coming across ruined temples. You can almost imagine what it must have been like for the first European visitor, German explorer Teobert Maler, who traveled to the site in 1891 after hearing tales of mysterious carved stones and giant paintings hidden deep in the forest.As you explore the site on foot or by bike (available for hire at the entrance), keep a look out for wildlife. You might see iridescent blue morph butterflies flitting through forest clearings, turquoise-browed motmots, parrots and agouti or tepescuintle, shy rodents about the size of a terrier.The most famous building at Cobá is the Nohoch Mul pyramid. Standing 42 meters high, it is the tallest pyramid in the northern Yucatán and the views from the top are spectacular. The pyramid staircase leads to two temples where offerings of animals, conch shells, jade and a fragment of a stela were found.
About 70 meters southeast of the pyramid is Stela 20, the best preserved of 30 stelae, altars and carved panels found at the site. It depicts a lord standing on the back of a bound captive, surrounded by three other courtiers who appear to be paying homage to their ruler.Other building groups at the site are the Cobá group, the oldest at the site, La Iglesia, another 24-meter-high pyramid crowned by a temple, the Ball Court, Las Pinturas, Xaibé or the Crossroads Pyramid and the Macanxoc group which has nine circular altars and eight stelae.
Cobá is also famous for the sacbes or Mayan causeways that radiate from the heart of the city. To date, 45 of these roads have been detected at the site including the longest sacbe in the Maya World, which links the city with Yaxuná, near Chichén Itzá and is 101 km long. Archaeologists believe that sacbes had multiple functions, for example they were used for ceremonial processions, to move trade goods and military forces, to mark territory and a city’s control over resources and vassal states.Getting to Cobá
Thomas More Travel offers several different trips to Cobá.Coba Mayan Village
Join a local guide for a glimpse of the Maya. This National Geographic-style tour includes the ancient city of Coba, a swim in a cenote and a visit to a Mayan Village.
The visit to the Mayan village gives you the chance to witness ancient traditions. Local families welcome you into their homes and you’ll learn about their daily life: building techniques, farming, cuisine, religion and more. Part of a sustainable development project, the economic benefits from this trip will foster community-wide education, and ecological awareness programs.Coba & Caves
Another guided visit to Coba which includes a refreshing dip and a spot of snorkeling at one of the Riviera Maya’s most impressive sinkholes. Then it’s on to Aktun Chen Caves; look out for the stalactites and stalagmites and for the spider monkeys that can sometimes be seen feeding in the treetops.
If you would like to explore on your own, take Highway 307 south to Tulum and the turnoff to Cobá. The journey to Cobá takes about 90 minutes from Cancún and one hour from Playa del Carmen.
