Mayan Ruins of the Mexican Riviera
What to See in Ek Balam, Coba, Tulum and Xcaret
The Mexican coast known as the Riviera Maya offers the ruins and the wealth of Maya history that accompanies them as well as breathtaking scenery and even nude beaches.
Not far from Cancun and Chichén Itzá are several sites famous for their ancient -- and just maybe, not so ancient? -- ruins from the Maya civilization.
Ek Balam and the Acropolis
A little to the north and east of Chichén is Ek Balam, Mayan for “black jaguar,” an almost untrafficked ruin built between 600 and 900 A.D. that was only first renovated eight years ago and is still a work in progress. It seems a number of buildings have yet to be excavated.
At 480 feet long, 180 feet wide and 96 feet tall, the Acropolis is the grandest of the restored buildings and once served as a palace for court officials, although a glance at the “bedrooms” – reminiscent of Tokyo sleeping cubicles – suggests that they didn’t live lavishly.
A vertigo-inducing climb to the top, passing several of the undernourished dogs who populate the area and hide out from the sun, gives you a look out onto all of Ek Balam, including lumps of what archeologists assume are other buildings.
There is something distinctly strange about the perfection, the modernity, the name, even, of the Acropolis, and also about the vagueness of the information available about it and its restoration. If you tend toward the cynical, you may even find yourself inexplicably doubting the authenticity of this particular site.
Cobá and the “Big Hill”
If you want to escape the heat for the cool of the jungle, Cobá (“ruffled waters”), to the east of Chichén and about 25 miles inland from the ocean, offers five lakes and long, leisurely shaded paths to be strolled, biked or traversed by rickshaw.
About a mile’s walk leads to the Yucatan’s tallest pyramid, the 136-foot high Nohoch Mul (“big hill”). Big hill is right. Although it’s not the most surefooted of climbs, it’s definitely worth it for the tremendous view.
But be prepared for the hellish climb down, only possible by scrabbling sideways. Cobá’s also particularly interesting for its fragments of painted murals, unusual for the time period – or at least unusual to spot post-excavation.
Tulúm
As you head toward the ocean, your next stop is the imaginatively named Tulúm (“wall”), a Mayan port city. The ruins are interesting enough, but it’s the location itself that’s most riveting.
Atop a bluff, it gets a refreshing trade wind, and you can look down from the rocks directly onto the nude beach below. In fact, pretty much every beach in Tulúm is nude. There are a number of “natural” beachfront hotels here, including the Cabañas Copal, where sea turtles come to lay eggs on summer nights, and the Hidden Beach Resort, where the beach is the only thing anyone bothers to hide.
Xcaret
Another, somewhat different, eco-park and “natural aquarium” about 45 miles south of Cancun is Xcaret, also an ancient Mayan site.
This park is far less theme-y than the nearby Xel-Ha, much more focused on Mayan history and on wildlife and flora, with a coral reef aquarium, manatee lagoon, apiary and aviary, jaguar and puma refuges (the cats have no qualms about mating before an audience), an orchid conservatory, dig sites and an archaeological museum, a butterfly pavilion and beaches as well as jungle.
One of the chief attractions of the park is the dinner show held at the Grand Tlachco, a giant arena where you’re treated to a prix-fixe dinner while watching a two-hour show tracing the history of Mexico, from the Mayan era through the traditional songs and dances of the major Mexican regions, performed in full traditional costume, of course.
For more on the Riviera Maya, see:
