Mayan Ruins

[rogue]

Our cruise in April is to the Western Caribbean, and we want to spend at least one day visiting Mayan ruins. We're stopping at Belize, Cozemel, and Costa Maya and ant to know which is the best port to see ruins. Thanks. :huh:

Howard

[Dan]

I think Cozumel is the biggie. Not sure if the lines do the drop off at Tulum anymore, or if you go directly from Cozumel. Also, going by the name, I would guess that Costa Maya also has some ruins within shore excursion distance. I don't know that for sure though.

[DaCruzNut]

If there is an excursion to Tulum from Costa maya, i would highly recommend it. However, if the Tulum tour is only offered from Cozumel, I would have second thoughts... While the ferry ride from Cozumel to the mainland is only about 11 miles, the channel is often very rough, and the ride, usually, quite unpleasant!!

The ruins at Tulum are unique, in that Tulum was the only Mayan city built on the sea. The government has spent a lot of money, time and effort in restoring Tulum.

Similarly, if there is a tour to Coba, from Costa Maya, I’d jump at the chance. Coba is one of the largest Mayan cities discovered, to date. Although much of it has undergone extensive restoration, there is still a lot of work going on. You can get to see how the restoration is accomplished, and visit areas where structures are buried and look more like hills than buildings.

Another site near Costa Maya is Muyil. There are about 100 structures here, but many are still buried. The ones that have been restored are scattered, and not close to one another. It is a good second choice, after Tulum.

San Gervasio, the ruin on Cozumel, is of interest only to those who study Mayan history and culture. San Gervasio is quite small (Though important in Mayan history) and the "restoration" has only recently begun. The same goes for El Rey, near CanCun. Most of these sites are still in ruins (pun intended).

Your best bet will be in Belize, where the various sites are not totally inundated with tourists, on a daily basis. Also, the government of Belize is way ahead of Mexico when it comes to restoration.