Known as the Island of Swallows, the island of Cozumel was a Mayan holy ground dedicated to Ixchel, the fertility goddess. Just a few miles outside the main town on the way to the "wild side" is the archaeolgical Mayan site of San Gervasio. Marie and I spent an hour here one late afternoon early this month while staying at my my sister's casa, walking about the ruins and gazing upon five distinct periods of Mayan construction. Before us were ruins from the Pre-Classic of 500BC to 200 AD through the Early-Classic (200AD - 600AD), the Late-Classic (600AD - 1000AD), the Terminal-Classic (1000AD - 1200AD) to the Post-Classic (1200 - 1650AD). It was during the Post Classic time period San Gervasio become one of the main pilgrimage centers of Mesoamerica. San Gervasio was also a place of intense trade, becoming the religious and administrative center for all of the island.
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| Entrance to San Gervasio, Cozumel, Mexico |
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| Iguana, San Gervasio |
The Murcielagos (Bats Structure) was the most important building in San Gervasio during the Late-Classic since it was the principal center of the site. The casa Grande Nohoch Nah or Big House was a temple that used to have an altar in the middle of the structure. The entire building was stucoed and decorated with red, ochre and blue colours. I found two large iguanas sunning themselves on the warm stone and even when I approached them they did their best to ignore me - perhaps they were the reincarnations of some long lost Mayan warrior...
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| Murcielagos, bat structure |
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| Casa Grande Nohoch Nah |
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| El Arco |
The Arch (El Arco) in preHispanic days was the entrance and exit of the central part of San Gervasio to the coastal site.
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| Hibiscus, San Gervasio |
