Cobá Part 1: A center of Maya power for 1000 years.

 A carved stone skull peers out from the wall of an ancient Maya ruin at Cobá. This is one of a pair of skulls that flank a flight of stairs on Structure B-2 in the Group B (Grupo Cobá) section of the ruins. The stairs lead up to Patio A, which contains La Iglesia ("The Church"), the second largest pyramid at Cobá. It is sometimes also called Nokhu. I will show the pyramid later in this posting. 

This begins my series on the ruins of Cobá. Politically and economically, it was one of the most important city-states in the ancient Maya world. Cobá was first inhabited in Pre-Classic times and continued to be occupied through the Classic and into the Post-Classic era, a span of time lasting about 1,800 years. There may have been a small population still in residence at Cobá when the Spanish first arrived in the 16th century. 

The main sites at Cobá are in four separate groups and this blog series will take you through them one at a time. Each group will take several postings. The pattern of habitation of the city was concentric, with the four groups in the center. The rest of the population, and the structures within which they lived and worked, was spread out in concentric circles. The overwhelming majority of the city has never been excavated.

Overview:

Cobá is about half way between Valladolid and the coastal town of Tulum. It is located in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo which runs along the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula from its northern tip all the way to the nation of Belize in the south. Cobá is 47km (29mi) inland from Tulum, the site of another famous ruin. The city of Valladolid (see my Valladolid Adventures series) is about 60km (37mi) northwest of Cobá. The ruins can also be reached from Cancun, about 138km (86mi) on the northeast coast of the Peninsula. 

From Valladolid, take Highway 180 east for 28.9km (32mi) to the outskirts of the town of Chemax. Just before the town, a sign will indicate a right turn for Cobá and Tulum on Highway 109. After this turn, you drive about 30km (19mi) until you reach a glorieta (traffic circle). A sign will indicate a right turn for Cobá. Follow this road for several kilometers to the modern pueblo of Cobá. As you pass through the pueblo, the road curves to the left along a lake. After a few hundred yards, you will reach the gate to the Cobá Archeological Zone. Park in the lot and take the trail into the ruins.

 

The view from the top of Piramide Ixmoja reveals a vast expanse of flat jungle.     Cobá was unknown to Europeans until the late 19th century, in part due to this thick jungle. Another reason was the violent unrest that plagued the Peninsula, particularly during the 19th century. The Ixmoja pyramid is the 3rd tallest in the Yucatan Peninsula. The second is at Calakmul, near the border with Guatemala. The most lofty is at the recently excavated city of Ichbal, near Lago de Bacalar in southeast Quinana Roo. Cobá appears to have had a relationship with both of these city-states, as well as many others in the Maya world. 

The explorers John Stephens and Frederick Catherwood heard about Cobá's existence when they visited Chemax in 1842. However, the wild trackless jungle made it too remote to reach in the time available. Then, the Caste War broke out in this area in 1847, precluding almost all non-Maya from visiting. However, Juan Peón Contreras, Director of the Yucatan Museum, reached Cobá in 1882 and made a few sketches. In 1893, Teoberto Maler arrived and took a photo, but didn't publish it. Thus, Cobá remained unknown to the world until well into the 20th century. Serious excavation and restoration didn't begin until the 1970's.

This is the sort of jungle that early explorers encountered. Much of it still exists today. Archeologists have mapped 6,500 mounds in the jungle, in and around Cobá. However,  they have only excavated about 10% of them. The structures we see today are a tiny fraction of what was one of the Maya world's largest, most powerful, and most economically prosperous cities. At its peak Cobá had a population of about 50,000 and covered an area of 48 square km (30 square mi). However, the areas excavated so far are primarily the pyramids, temples, and palaces utilized by Cobá's elite inhabitants. 

The vast majority of the mapped mounds were once the residences and workplaces of the common people. Most of these structures were what the Maya called naho'ob: low stone platforms that were topped by perishable wooden structures, with palm frond roofs. However, among the mounds that have been excavated, differences have been noted in their size and complexity. This suggests that the commoners were not an undifferentiated mass, but had differing levels of status and wealth, like most complex urban societies.

Among Cobá's outstanding aspects are the number and length of its sacbeob. A sacbe (sacbeob is the plural) is a raised stone causeway and Cobá has at least 50. Shown above is a chart of the ones built to reach outlying areas. The map does not include most of the sacbeob internal to the city itself. One sacbe reaches all the way to Yaxuna, just south of Chichen Itza. Its length is a whopping 100km (62mi). The workers used tools made of stone, wood, and bone. No wheeled vehicles or draft animals were available to these ancient people. It was all just human labor. Few Maya cities equal Cobá in sacbeob.

There are several lakes in the area of Cobá, including Lago de Cobá, Lago de Macanxoc, Lago de Yax, and Lago de Sinacal. In addition to its sacbeob, these naturally occurring lakes were important factors in the city's economy and power. Most of the Yucatan Peninsula has no above-ground lakes or rivers and the climate can be quite dry for long periods of each year. In many places limestone sink holes called cenotes are the only water sources. The easy availability of large quantities of fresh water for drinking and agriculture gave Cobá a substantial advantage over many of its rival city-states.

Remains of a sacbe, still functional more than 600 years after Cobá was abandoned. To construct a sacbe, Maya engineers first built retaining walls on either side, then laid down a layer of large stones. Covering these were several layers of smaller stones, ranging from cobble to gravel. The top layer was sascab, a naturally-occurring powdered limestone, mined in local areas. Finally, the sascab layer was covered by stucco, made by burning limestone and mixing it with water to create a brilliantly white surface. Sacbe, in fact, translates as "white road". Archeologists speculate that, since the climate was hot, travel occurred at night and the white surface helped people follow the road.

The sacbeob served multiple purposes. They facilitated the movement of people and goods between Cobá's domain and other city-states. They also enabled the rapid movement of troops to outlying areas in order to conquer them, or to fend off rival city-states. The shining white roads were also an expression of the political power of Cobá's rulering elite. There were downsides, however. First, the roads could literally pave the way for invaders. Second, creating the stucco required the burning of limestone.This, in turn, required a great deal of wood, contributing to deforestation and ultimately to ancient climate change.

The excavated portions of Cobá include four main groups of structures. The sacbe from the entrance at Lago Cobá leads you to Group B, also known as Grupo Cobá (Ruffled Water Group). This is the oldest part of the city and is the site of Ball Court #1 and the Acropolis containing La Iglesia pyramid. Continuing on, you come to a fork. Sacbe #4 heads off to the left and Sacbe #9 goes right. 

Nestled in the fork and continuing up to the left along Sacbe #4 is Group D. This contains the Conjunto de Pinturas (Paintings Group), Ball Court #2, and other structures. It is the newest part of the city and was built primarily in the Post-Classic period. At the end of the left fork is Group C, or Grupo Nohoch Mul (Big Mound), the site of Piramide Ixmoja. The right fork--Sacbe #9--takes you to Group A (Grupo Macanxoc), the ruins of which contain a large number of stelae.

There are hundreds of structures in these four groups, more than I could possibly examine and photograph during our day-long visit. In addition there are many more not shown on the map above, which only focuses on the main sites. Consequently, this series will only provide a taste of what there is to see at Cobá. It would take days, or perhaps several separate visits, to see the majority of the excavated structures. So, allow yourself plenty of time when you visit. To shorten the walk between the groups, you can rent a bike at the entrance.

La iglesia and Stela 11

Piramide La Iglesia stands on the north end of the huge Acropolis platform. The open space in front of the pyramid is Patio A. At the lower left is Stela 11, covered by a small palm frond palapa. La Iglesia is the second tallest pyramid in Cobá and stands 24m (79ft) high. There are nine levels, each with the rounded corners characteristic of the Petén style. The number of levels may relate to the nine levels of Xibalba (the Maya underworld). Unfortunately, climbing the pyramid is no longer allowed. Stela 11 will be shown in Part 2 of this series, along with some of the treasures that were recently unearthed at its base.

La Iglesia was built in the Early Classic period (300-600 AD) and had several modifications over the centuries. The last was during the Post-Classic era (1000-1450 AD), when a temple was added on top. The Acropolis platform contains the largest concentration of buildings at Cobá. There are 43 structures, various courtyards, a grand plaza, and several stelae. While most were not accessible when we visited, I was able to photograph some on the north and west sides, as well at Ball Court #1. I will show all these in Parts 2 and 3 of this series. Six of Cobá's sacbeob branch out from the Acropolis in various directions.

The ancient Maya constructed a tunnel into the left side of La Iglesia. The tunnel has a corbel arch and two rooms that branch off to the right. Entry to the tunnel was not allowed, so this was all I could photograph. The purpose of the tunnel is not clear, but it may have served to store sacred ceremonial objects or for secret rituals open only to priests and the ruling elite. The far end of the tunnel is blackened. This may be natural or it may be carbon from the sacred fires burnt as part of the secret rituals.

A seven-step staircase leads up to Patio F.  The north wall of the Acropolis platform forms the south side of the Patio. On the left side of the photo is the south end of Ball Court #1. The east side of the Ball Court structure and the north wall of the Acropolis form two of the four sides of Patio F. The layout of the Acropolis seemed a bit jumbled when I first encountered it. Part of this is probably a result of its many modifications over the centuries. However, as I have studied it more closely, I can see some interesting results from these modifications. 

For example, the east side of the Ball Court apparently had two functions. It is basically a broad staircase that leads up onto the top of the structure. From there, a person facing west could view the game on the playing court below. On the other hand, the stairs themselves face east, into Patio F. This would make them into grandstand seats for a crowd facing in that direction to watch ceremonies or rituals conducted in the Patio. The Maya engineers were extraordinarily clever in their architectural designs.

A small broken stela stands under a palapa near the Acropolis. It is surrounded on three sides by a low U shaped structure. The palapa is a modern addition to protect the stela. Stelae often contain hieroglyphs and the images of rulers, but some are blank like this one. There are at least 34 stelae and inscribed panels at Cobá, some of which have yielded important historical information about rulers and events. Often they include dates from the Maya calendar which enable archeologists to construct a timelines. In the course of this series, I will show some of these stelae and panels. 

This completes Part 1 of my Cobá series. My next two posts will focus on other structures on or around the Acropolis. I hope you have enjoyed this first part. If so, please leave any thoughts or questions in the Comments section below or email me directly. If you leave a question in the Comments section, please don't forget to include your email address so that I can respond in a timely manner.

Hasta luego, Jim