20 29'24 "N 87 43'51 .60" W / 20.49, 87731

Coba is an important archaeological site belonging to the Maya civilization. It is located in the Yucatan Peninsula , south-east Mexico (State of Quintana Roo ) in the small village of Coba about 106 km from Playa del Carmen and 42 km from Tulum. Its geographical location is 20 29'41 "N, 87 44'07" W.

Summary 1 Place names 2 Background 3 Modern History Site 4 Visit Site 4.1 Group Coba 4.2 Group Nohoch Mul 4.3 Xaibe 4.4 Groupings of paintings 4.5 Group Macanxoc 5 Practical information 6 Gallery 7 Notes and references 8 See also 8.1 Article Related 8.2 External Links

Place names

As with most sites Columbian , there is no source of epigraphic to know the name borne by the city in the prehispanic era. Nevertheless, some references ethnographic allowed the colonial era to the famous archaeologist J. Eric S. Thompson discovered that the city of Coba Coba Kinchil was to be called, in reference to the Mayan Sun God ( K'inich Ajaw ). The names can explain the word by Coba Mayan words "cob" (or "kob") meaning ford or disorder and "ha" meaning water. Which could have resulted in "troubled waters" ^Background

This is the most important site of the Yucatan Peninsula that can not be compared with Chichen Itza 's eternal rival. The city extended over 70 km ² and developed a network of 45 sacbeob to move between different sets but also to travel to satellite sites. The sacbe to Yaxun measured 100 km. Archaeologists believe Coba would have a population of 50,000 inhabitants (and perhaps more) at its peak.

The site was occupied by human groups since the ^first century BC. AD as indicated by traces of low platforms and constructions of wood and palm and dating of the oldest ceramics. But the population of the site has really started to grow from the ^first century BC. AD

Nevertheless most of the monuments of the city were built in the classical period of Mayan civilization (between 500 and 900 AD). Most of the inscriptions on stelae of the city date from the seventh century. Between 200 and 600 Coba became one of the largest and most powerful cities of the northern lowlands. She seems to have had a very strong territorial control over the entire north of the present state of Quintana Roo and Yucatan on the east.

More archaeologists assume that Coba was able to contract marriage and military alliances with powerful major cities of Tikal , Calakmul or Dzibanch.

Excavations of monuments called the "group of paintings" made in 1999 allowed to uncover architectural elements of style Teotihuacan. This allows to show the links between this city and central Mexico (yet is 2 000 km).

But from the ^seventh century the rise of cities Puuc Yucatn ( Uxmal , Edzna , Izamal , Becn ...), then the development of Chichen Itza altered the balance of power in the peninsula. Around the year 900 of Coba defend its territories against including Chichen Itza, which will eventually take over many satellites including Coba and the City of Yaxun.

After year one thousand , the city lost its importance but it seems to have retained a great symbolic and religious which enabled him to revive between 1200 and 1500. Many buildings style East Coast " date from this era.

Coba is uniquely situated on the trade route between the coasts of the Caribbean Sea and the cities of Yucatn. Tulum located 40 km or XelHa were the gateways to the resources of the sea and the sea lanes to get to the current Belize , Guatemala and Honduras or to circumvent the Yucatan Peninsula to the Gulf of Mexico.

No doubt partly for this reason Coba remained an important site in the region during the Postclassic Period ( one thousand - one thousand four hundred fifty ) and until the arrival of the conquistadors from Spain, unlike his opponent Chichen Itza, whose importance was ephemeral. When the Spaniards strengthened their occupation of Yucatan, Coba had been totally abandoned by its inhabitants.

The presence of five small lakes (Coba, Macanxoc, Cacalpuc, and Yaxlaguna Xcanh) was particularly conducive to the development of the city by providing the necessary water to many residents and facilitating activities, including agriculture.

Today, the ruins of Coba are one of the main attractions of the region.

Modern History Site

This comprehensive site, although it was completely abandoned in the ^sixteenth century , was always present in our memories. Scientists knew him poorly because of its difficult access (away from roads in the rainforest , surrounded by an area involved in the war of castes ) and only in the year 1920 that archaeologists began their first serious observations. Visitors were rare prior to construction in the years 1970 a tourist route.

The explorer Thomas Gann was taken to the site by Mayan descendants during a hunting trip in February 1926. He published a report describing the ruins and sent it to the group of archaeologists from the Carnegie Institution in charge of updating and restoring the site of Chichen Itza. They sent an expedition led by archaeologist J. Eric S. Thompson. He wrote a report describing the surprising extent of the site and the presence of many Mayan inscriptions and asked Sylvanus Morley to organize a new expedition deeper site.

Eric Thompson made numerous visits to the site and published in 1932 a detailed description.

But with the popularity of the site of Chichen Itza (partially rebuilt and restored), Coba remained forgotten until the late 1970. The hotel zone in Cancun was developed and the Mexican government realized that an enhancement of archaeological sites could be a good tourist attraction.

In 1972 , the National Institute of Anthropology and History Mexico ( INAH ) directed by Carlos Navarrete began the development of the area by facilitating access to the site primarily for researchers and visitors. Some monuments were consolidated, the aisles were built as well as access and excavation sites were opened.

In the 1980s a new road was opened to gain Coba, a line for implementation and the village was connected to the mains.

Visit Site

Only a small portion of some 80 sq km of the site was excavated and few visitors went there before the construction of a tourist route in the 1970s.

The City is divided into different sets that not only have a temporal relationship between them but also an urban relationship. So there are groups almost exclusively residential (Group Coba) and other ceremonial functions with or funeral (Group Macanxoc). To this day it was discovered more than 30 stelae , altars and carved panels on the site. Only a small portion of the site is accessible to the public and the restoration and development is only beginning. This gives the site in the forest wild and natural character giving the visitor the feeling of being an explorer. Small squares opening onto limestone stelae very damaged also give the feeling of being in front of monuments placed there without preconceived spatial organization, which is false.