The Maya Empire occupied a wide territory in modern-day Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and parts of Mexico, and this amazing civilization left behind a series of unique archeological sites.
The ruins of Tulum are probably the most picturesque because they overlook the Caribbean Sea. If you want to see amazing hieroglyphs, the ruins of Copán, Honduras, are your best bet. World-famous Tikal, in Guatemala, is huge, with six temples. And Xunantunich is a massive complex totally worth visiting in Belize.
It was a hot, cloudy day in Tulum, so we decided to spend the afternoon looking for the tallest pyramid in Quintana Roo at the Cobá Ruins. The archeological site was an easy forty-minute drive through towns with exotic names, like Francisco Uh May or Lol Beh. After a million speed bumps—the local road traffic feature—, we finally reached the two lagoons and the Cobá Ruins.
We were lucky, the site was pretty quiet. Tourists come early, and we’re not morning people…
“Taxi? Maya Uber?”
We laughed at the funny bicitaxi driver’s offer. We knew it would be quite a walk to find all the structures scattered around, but it’s part of the fun.
This time, unlike in Tulum, we were lost in the jungle. Many of the ruins haven’t been excavated yet so mysterious moss-covered mounds dot the site. I kept on hoping we were going the right way—the Mayans had “sakbej” (ceremonial paths), we just had to follow flat trails surrounded by trees, some of them featuring ominous Blair Witch-like symbols as if nature wanted to make a point—“you guys are guests travelling back in time, behave!”
We stopped at the Mayan ball court, where losing players were actually not sacrificed—this is a misinterpretation of the Popol Vuh, the story of creation according to the Quiche Maya, and it probably feeds the narrative that Indigenous Peoples were “uncivilized,” a convenient excuse justifying colonization.
We kept the best for last—the massive Nohoch Mul Pyramid. Ten years ago, I climbed it with Mark on my back, but now it has become a “no climbing” structure like many others. Still impressive, though.





















