Coba
Coba (Spanish: Cobá) is an ancient Maya city on the Yucatán Peninsula, located in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The site is the nexus of the largest network of stone causeways of the ancient Maya world, and it contains many engraved and sculpted stelae that document ceremonial life and important events of the Late Classic Period (AD 600–900) of Mesoamerican civilization.[1] The adjacent modern village bearing the same name, reported a population of 1,278 inhabitants in the 2010 Mexican federal census.[2]
For other uses, see Coba (disambiguation).Location
Late Preclassic to Late Postclassic
In ruins
The ruins of Coba lie 47 km (approx. 29 mi) northwest of Tulum, in the State of Quintana Roo, Mexico. The geographical coordinates of Coba Group (main entrance for tourist area of the archaeological site) are North 19° 29.6’ and West 87° 43.7’. The archaeological zone is reached by a two-kilometer branch from the asphalt road connecting Tulum with Nuevo Xcán (a community of Lázaro Cárdenas, another municipality of Quintana Roo) on the Valladolid to Cancún highway.[3]
Coba is located around two lagoons, Lake Coba and Lake Macanxoc. A series of elevated stone and plaster roads radiate from the central site to various smaller sites near and far. These are known by the Maya term sacbe (plural sacbeob) or white road. Some of these causeways go east, and the longest runs over 100 kilometres (62 mi) westward to the site of Yaxuna. The site contains a group of large temple pyramids known as the Nohoch Mul, the tallest of which, Ixmoja, is some 42 metres (138 ft) in height.[4] Ixmoja is among the tallest pyramids on the Yucatán peninsula, exceeded by Calakmul at 45 metres (148 ft).[5]
Coba was estimated to have had some 50,000 inhabitants (and possibly significantly more) at its peak of civilization, and the built up area extends over some 80 km2. The site was occupied by a sizable agricultural population by the first century. The bulk of Coba's major construction seems to have been made in the middle and late Classic period, about 500 to 900 AD, with most of the dated hieroglyphic inscriptions from the 7th century (see Mesoamerican Long Count calendar). However, Coba remained an important site in the Post-Classic era and new temples were built and old ones kept in repair until at least the 14th century, possibly as late as the arrival of the Spanish.
Cobá lies in the tropics, subject to alternating wet and dry seasons which, on average, differ somewhat from those in the rest of the northern peninsula, where the rainy season generally runs from June through October and the dry season from November through May. At Cobá, rain can occur in almost any time of the year, but there is a short dry period in February and March, and a concentration of rain from September through November.[6]
Sakbe'ob[edit]
Sakbe'ob (Maya plural of sacbe), or sacbes, are very common at Coba. They are raised pathways lined with stones on each side and filled with smaller stones and lined with sand, shell, and/or paster on top. These paths were the connecting points to most areas of Coba. Although the Maya used wheels in artifacts such as toys, anthropologists note that without indigenous animals suitable for draft,[7] they did not implement the wheel for transportation of goods or people.
Economy[edit]
In the past, the people of Coba had traded extensively with other Mayan communities, particularly the ones further south along the Caribbean coast in what is now Belize and Honduras. It utilized the ports of Xcaret, Xel-Há, Tankah, Muyil, and Tulum as well as the many sacbeob that sprout from this cultural center. Typical items of trade of the Maya of this area were: salt, fish, squash, yams, corn, honey, beans, turkey, vegetables, chocolate drinks and raw materials such as limestone, marble, and jade.[20] There was specialization in different areas on the site which were because of who was living and working where and what their trade was. Almost all of the commerce was controlled by wealthy merchants. These merchants used cacao beans for currency. Today's economy is based on the rising popularity of tourism to the archaeological site.[21]
The archaeological site of Coba received 702,749 visitors in 2017.[22] One of Coba's main attractions is the Ancient Pyramid which, unlike Chichen Itza's Kukulkan Pyramid, was still open for the public to climb its 130 steps up to the top of the site (prior to being closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
There are also three hotels, one campsite and seven restaurants scattered throughout the site and there is a small pueblo near the ruins, with some restaurants and small shops selling local crafts.[23][24]
The following are the important artifacts and structures that can be viewed and experienced within the ruins of Coba:
