Coba

/ Bulldog Travels

COBA.  Co-ba.  Co-BA.  It’s a strong sounding name, isn’t it?  Coba, say it with me, with an accent like you are Antonio Banderas.  Co-Ba.  Coba is a cool place.  It is lush and green compared to some of the other local Yucatan Archaeological spots like Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Mayapan, and Tulum.  The greenery provides some privacy for each structure lending excitement to each corner making one feel as though they are an early explorer.

Raised stone pathways (sacbes) that are present throughout the site setting it apart from other local Yucatan sites.  They combined residential areas together and lead off in the direction of other neighboring sites.

An in-tact ball court makes me want to learn the game and play it or at the very least play a modern game there on the site of the ancients.

Nearby Lakes/Lagoons add to the rain forest charm…and the mosquitoes.

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I really enjoyed this site primarily because it is not perfect.  It is still somewhat in disrepair, the number of visitors is smaller, it is quieter…more wild.  It’s hard to visualize 50,000+ inhabitants living in the area when it sometimes feels like I was the only one there.  The site is dying for a murder mystery or an Indiana Jones/Dwayne Johnson-style adventure movie to be shot here…

It’s places like these that keep me wanting to go back to Mexico, Central America, and South America searching for more archaeological sites.

For more Mexican Archaeological Sites visit me here.

39 thoughts on “Coba”

  3. I suddenly have a memory failure. Can’t remember if we have indeed been to Coba. I think so. 🙂
    And you, like my sister, seem to be mosquito-prone! 🙂
    Some parts of South America are infested, especially at certain hours of the day.
    Thank you for a very nice post.

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  6. Hi Jenny, it’s been so long since I’ve visited your site but I just couldn’t stay away any longer! Sitting here, looking out the windows at a frozen December landscape, is a good time to read about steamy jungles and mosquitoes! How often do you get to go to Mexico and find more archaeological places to explore? I like how you explain that in Coba the main structures are separated with trees and greenery. It was probably all cleared and open when it was built, right? That is exciting to imagine. I also like that people can still walk on the structures. I know, it’s selfish of me, and it degrades the ancient ruins. Still, I love being able to get that close to fascinating history.

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    • I’m no archaeologist but it does seem to me like all the literature I read showed that the areas were cleared of trees within reason. It’s amazing to me how quickly the jungle takes this stuff back! We even saw a bunch of unescavated areas and it looked like hills with trees growing out of it unless you looked closely or knew what you were looking at. I should prob do a post on one site we visited that was completely unescavated. That was super interesting in its own way.

      I like that you can climb on some of the structures too but do totally understand that they limit it at some of the more important and highly visited sites.

      Thanks for visiting my site again. I’ve missed you. I haven’t been posting or traveling much because the baby came. Spending a lot of time walking in circles in my living room.

      I dont get to Mexico very often. It’s still a bit of a journey even from California. Ive made it t Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemala, and Yucatan. There are certainly lots of places I want to visit…

      If I do t hear from you before then have a merry Xmas and happy new year.

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      • Yes, well, baby! I guess I have missed out on some news. Another blogger friend of mine became pregnant last year and commented, “Well, I guess we can’t do any more traveling or camping now for a few years.” I was so sad to hear she was ready to give it all up and I hope she and her husband have discovered that babies make it tougher, but not impossible. I *hope* that you merely slow down, but don’t stop your adventures. 🙂 How are things going in mommy-hood? Walking in circles is not that exciting, but babies are (for better and for worse, ha ha!).

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  8. Where have I been? Off the grid. Looks like you, too? I love this line: “It is still somewhat in disrepair, the number of visitors is smaller, it is quieter…more wild.” That’s my kinda place…much better than museums. If we could just do something about those skeeters?

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    • Hi there! Happy new year!

      I’ve been quiet lately too. I had a baby so the focus has been on him! Hoping to get some small trips in with him while I am still on maternity leave. I have a few places in the gold country and the San Francisco area I have never been. Hoping to photograph and write about them soon.

      As for the mosquitos I just try to cover up and spray! It rarely works for me though! They love me.

      Did you ever choose where your mystery trip is going to be?

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  9. Jenny, this series you’ve been doing is just what we need. We’re hoping to go to the area this year and your posts are the perfect inspiration. Thanks! James and I want to wish you a happy and healthy New Year filled with love and adventure. All the very best, Terri

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  14. Yeah, I remembered the mosquito photo… 🙂 My wife is always a target. I’m lucky, mosquitoes leave me alone… 🙂
    You were lucky, hardly anybody (can I borrow your pyramid picture with all due credits for comparison in a next post?). When we went, though early it was already full. And now they rent bikes! So you can easily get run over by bikers, some of whom seem to barely know how to ride… Oh well. Mass tourism.
    What period were you there?
    Cheers
    B.

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