Hey all
So I've been quiet for a bit of a while, mainly due to Post Grad commitments, but I've finally finished that and have managed to give myself a couple of breaks away.
So for this I wanted to share in my visit to Mexico, in particular The Maya City of Coba in the State of Quintana Roo, on the Yucatán peninsula.
Coba Group
The Church (La Iglesia)
Stela 11
A sculpted and engraved history and ceremonial life within the city. There are many of these placed around the area.
Stela 11 with The Church
Coba was known to have had around 50,000 people living there at its peak and covered an area of around 80km squared. Nowadays, the village next to the ruins that holds the same name has a population of around 1300 people in comparison.
The Ball Court
The Ball court just next to The Church
From what I have read, getting the ball through this hole (each side had one much like a goal) was an instawin, so if someone somehow managed to do this in the first 5 minutes, the game was over, so in my mind at least, scoring this way was bad for the spectators or those just wanting a good game!
Unsure why, but the ballcourt exterior had this odd passageway on it, looked good at least and really something to share.
The Forest
The ruins of Coba are spread out over quite a distance, where you will be walking a good few KM's, although there is the option to hire a bike to get around if you wish to do this quicker. For me walking was fine, I was not in any hurry, since I'd only be rushing back to sit in a rental car for 2 hours again!
Also an advantage to being on foot over cycling. Being able to catch the wildlife, such as this Woodpecker doing its thing against the tree.
Has to be the one time I wished I had the 70-200 with me just to get this shot better over my 16-85 I usually just take on travels.
Within the forest there are more Stela on display as well as unknown structures
Temple of the Frescoes (Grupo de las Pituras)
Another pyramid like structure hiding away is the Temple of the Frescoes, names this way due to the art and murals that are within the body, although access is not granted so sadly these cannot be shared.
Nohuch Mul
As you walk through the forest you start to glimpse sight of what is one very impressive structure.
The tallest pyramid in all of Yucatan Peninsula it gives an imposing impression surrounded by the forestry around it. It's name in Maya is meant to mean, Large Mound, not so exciting in translation!
It was once possible to climb up Nochuch Mul but only within the past couple of years has this been prohibited, for both safety and preservation reasons, as it can be seen the wear on the steps is noticeable and its overall condition is showing the signs of deterioration.