COBA

COBA, MEXICO

COBA
Coba is a large and sprawling site, located about 30 minutes 
northwest of Tulum. Actually, it is composed of several separate
-but-connected sites, most of which are still �lost in the jungle.� 
During the Late Classic Period (800 to 925 A.D.), Coba was 
the largest site on the northeastern Yucatan Peninsula and had
a dense population spread over an area of nearly 30 square 
miles. 
Today, the main area of this restored and partially-restored 
archeological site is located between the two largest of five 
lakes in the area�Lake Macanxoc and Lake Coba. The only 
sizeable lakes in all of northern Yucatan, they are no doubt 
the reason why the Maya settled here in the first place. Coba 
in Maya means �ruffled waters.� 
One of the most outstanding features of Coba is the incredible 
number of sacbeob (white roads) that connect different parts 
of it to each other, and link it to outposts on the coast as well 
as other cities many miles inland. More than 45 sacbeob have 
been discovered here, including one that runs 62 miles to the 
west, connecting Coba to the city of Yaxuna. It has been 
proposed that this causeway was the last-ditch effort by Coba
to strengthen its trade relationship to the interior, thereby 
competing with its rival Chichen Itza during the early Post 
Classic Period. 
Coba has several groups of interesting buildings, such as the 
Iglesia Group (church), which includes the ball court, and the 
Pinturas Group with its remnant paintings. But by far the most 
important group is the Nohoc mul Group, with its massive 
temple-pyramid of the same name. The view from the top of 
this pyramid is a bird�s eye view of a huge expanse of 
surrounding jungle that is very moving to see. At 138 feet tall,
it is the highest ancient construction in all of Yucatan. 
Forty-five stelae (upright stone slabs with carved inscriptions 
and images on them) have been recovered from Coba, with 
dates that range from 613 A.D. to 780 A.D. One, which has 
one of the longest hieroglyphic stela texts known, portrays a 
queen. Even if you go only to see the Nohoc mul Temple-Pyramid 
alone, looming high above the Yucatan jungle, a visit to Coba 
is well worth it.

NOHOCH MUL
42 meters in height

MADE IT TO THE TOP !

THE BALL COURT

OUR LIMO BIKE DRIVER TO THE NOHOCH MUL

OUR GUIDE GONZO from ALLTOURNATIVE

We could have used this shot of TEQUILA before the Zipline and Repelling but we had it at the end of the day to cheer that we survived the Mayan Jungle.

SHOPPING IN COBA

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