An Ancient City that was abandoned shortly after the Spainish conquest.

As you can see from this Photo, this is above the jungle. The Lake in the background was the source of Water for the city. The Pyramid that I climbed to take this Photo is the tallest on the Yucatan

Peninsula, 140' High

These carved Stela reflect Coba's dominance in the Northern Plains. These Monuments show Kings resplendent in Quetzal Plumes standing on cowering prisoners. AD 613-672 at it's height.

A Portrait of a King who ruled the Classic Maya City of Coba, is in the above photo.

At Coba all the Stela's were covered like this one above, for protection from the high humidity.

This is another Stela, the carving on the stone was so faint we could not tell what was on it. We just had to take our tour guides word that it was another King showing his subjects that Coba was his City.

Coba, reached it's peak during the classic period; it was one of the largest of all Mayan cites. It's estimated population of 50,000 lived in the metropolis, spread over twenty-five square miles. The climactic changes is most likely the reason for the abandonment of the city.

As you climb the pyramid below, you begin to realize how vast their city and civilazation was as it's steepness forces you to climb it on your hands and knees.

On the top of the pyramid was a small temple that we were able to walk 3/4's of the way around.

The front is all they restored, the guide said they ran out of money to finish the site. We tried to walk around the base of the pyramid but the jungle has taken over most of it. Believe me in the jungle you don't want to go walking off by yourself.

I took this photo as we were walking up the trail to Iglesia.

In or around 1100-1200 AD the city was reoccupied, for what reason the Archeologists do not know why.

Four great artifical roadways terminate near the Nohoch Mul, the largest pyramid. In Yucatan Maya, these are called sacbeob-white roads. They encompass a vast network of forty-three raised roads totaling almost 96 miles and containing more than one and a half million cubic yards of stone . Scholars have speculated that they were used for ceremonial processions or were meant as statements of aggression. They may have been symbols of elite marriage alliances or perhaps in part, work projects to keep the restless masses occupied.

They think this is a burial

site but nothing was under the stones, most believe it was an Altar.