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The new width of jungle being torn from its lodgings to create
a faster ride to points north has displaced trees and a few
Mayan palapas and homesteads several miles past the Highway
307 turnoff. But in spite of the new lane being added, a feeling
sets in. Maya country prevails once you make the turn westwards.
Now more handicraft shops dot the landscape and a couple places
sell cold drinks or beer, but the pot holes are real and still
unforgiving, hidden by shadows on the road just as you feel
sure the blacktop on which you're driving is beyond reproach.
No more spider monkeys or tarantulas, and no more blue Morpho
butterflies grace this stretch of road, at least not within
eyesight, but on arrival at the Coba crossroads some 40 miles
inland, the draw of the pyramids and the lake makes it easy
to forget the coast.
A CLOSE ESCAPE
Coba is the perfect get away. It's a close escape from the
Riviera Maya. Although not hit hard by Hurricane Wilma, both
the water surge and 60 inches of rainfall dropped by the storm
were enough to raise the level of the lake a full meter. This
also occurred in 2003 after Hurricane Isadora, and at that time,
one of the adjoining lakes (there are five total) rose high
enough for Coba's lagoon to now have a full-blown flotilla of
crocodiles that swam over from a neighboring lake and never
left. "No Wading" signs are everywhere.
A new road has taken the place of the old road alongside the
lake that led to the pyramid site. After Wilma, the old road
was under water for weeks and is presently being filled with
sascab. Likewise, small palapa-covered lookouts appear stranded
in the middle of the lake, their stairs now immersed under several
feet of water.
A breather from the teeming masses of tourists at Tulum, Coba
(which means "water stirred by wind" in Maya) is apparently
last on the list of must-see spots for travelers. But Coba exudes
a "romancing the stone" feel, perhaps because it is
only ten percent excavated, or maybe because it's located in
thick, low jungle. But recent years have brought forth more
INAH funding and many more pyramids are now viewable, including
a ball court that is almost totally restored.
JUNGLE PATHS
Walking the few kilometers through shady jungle paths past
the Coba group of pyramids with a large temple dedicated to
Chac, the Rain God, and the Chumuc Mul Group, which has barely
been excavated, Coba's real treasure is the Nohoch Mul pyramid,
the tallest at Coba and the highest in the Yucatán with 120
steps at 138 feet.
The Descending God is depicted on a facade of the temple at
the top, and the view from on high is well worth the climb.
Large vistas of jungle stretching for miles and miles can be
seen and nothing else, a rare thing in this day and age. Most
likely few others will be there to share this with you, another
benefit, as reaching the top does take some effort.
This Maya city once covered 70 square kilometers and because
of some 16 elevated sascab roads which spread out like spokes
on a wheel with Coba at the center, archeologists believe it
exercised economic control over the area. One road measures
100 kilometers in length and was possibly used for trade between
other city-states. Population at Coba reached as many as 50,000
inhabitants between 800AD to 1100AD.
MAYA CALENDAR MYSTERY
Coba is also noted as the site at which archeologists found
the Maya stellae with the now famous hieroglyph depicting the
end of the world (as the Maya know it) at December 23, 2012
AD.
Arrive early and avoid the inevitable tour buses that show up
around 10 a.m. Or for a splurge, stay overnight in Villas Archeologica,
a Club Med anomaly that barely has a tourist. As one arrives
at the parking lot, a clear view of the lake predominates.
The hotel has a faux pyramid entrance, as if entering into
the mouth of a cave, and then you continue on into an interior
courtyard, nicely appointed with glass covered niches displaying
Maya artifacts. Glossy red tile floors, though slippery, add
color and luster. All rooms surround a swimming pool and outdoor
restaurant, but inside the rooms, the windows face onto manicured
gardens or jungle views.
Perhaps due to few inhabitants, the desk clerk has a twisted
sense of humor, and may ask if you want a room "con cocodrillo"
(with crocodile) or without. Since there's little to do there
in the evenings, take advantage of the benches on the hotel's
front terrace facing the lake and watch the sunset. In summer,
fireflies light up the night sky.
With recent events on the coast, Coba seems barely touched by
Wilma's tirade, and although the pueblo was without electricity
for eight days after the storm, it's been fully up and running
for months.
Two other restaurants are worth mentioning, the Nicte Ha (water
lily in Maya) which has excellent local food at great prices.
It's very close to Villas Archeologica and La Pyramide on the
corner before turning towards the villas which is where most
tour buses stop.
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