Kohunlich Mayan ruins (Mexico)
A popular trip at the cruise port of Costa Maya is visiting the Kohunlich ruins. The name Kohunlich comes from the many Kohun trees there. The trees are the ones that look like they have bunches of tiny coconuts.
Pro-tip: The site is about two hours away from the dock, so plan on a fairly long day. Remember to bring bug spray and sunscreen.
Pro-tip: Pay at the entrance for a camera receipt if you want to take video or use a GoPro or other high-resolution cameras. You can pay in USD, if you want. But it is easiest if you have singles to pay as they may not have change in US dollars.
Acropolis, Palace and Residence area
Our first stop was the area with the Acropolis, Palace, and residences. In the homes, raised platforms of stone were sometimes beds. These, covered with furs or other soft materials, would be quite comfortable. Additionally, there were many small niches. People were buried in their homes and sometimes taken out and cleaned, displayed, loved and then returned to their niches.
Temple of the Stela
Our second stop at the site was The Temple of the Stela. There are decorative masks on this building, but you can’t see them. They are covered to keep them safe from the elements. Luckily, you can see other masks at the site.
Pro-tip: If you are quiet, you may be able to see the bats that nest here. They are in the left opening of the building. I scared some away when I walked up, not knowing they were there. Alternately, if you don’t like bats, don’t go near the left opening. There’s nothing to see there of any interest to you 🙂
Temple of the Masks
Our third stop was at the building that makes Kohunlich an attraction to tourists: The Temple of the Masks pyramid. Only 5 masks remain. Protected from the elements, the masks are viewable under their thatched rooves.
These detailed masks survived for hundreds of years because the building was covered with a later temple that collapsed. Despite being saved for hundreds of years by sheer luck, three masks recently suffered damage by looters. Those spaces are nearly blank rocks.
Pro-tip: The stairs to the room at the top of the pyramid/temple are really steep. So if you plan to go to the top, go up a few stairs and then look down to see what going back down is like before going further. Going up is hard on some of these Mayan temples, but going down can be terrifying. There’s nothing inside of interest at the top rooms. So just go high enough on the steep stairs to get the pictures you want of the five remaining masks.
Mayan ball court
Our final stop was the ball court area. The Mayans had a peculiar blood sport, played with a hard rubber ball in a stone court. The court had a target on each side of the long wall. If your team lost the game, the punishment was severe. Either the leader or the whole losing team was often sacrificed to the gods to ensure a good harvest.
At other Mayan sites, depictions of games have shown the players using the previous games loser’s head as the ball. I’m sure this made the game even harder for the next pair of teams, particularly if it was someone they knew.
One odd thing at the Kohunlich ruins is that someone added some mini-ponds around the site. They are growing some weird stuff in them, including, I would suspect, mosquitos. It’s like someone looked at the ruins and thought about what would make them better? Why more mosquitos of course.
On our tour, you could buy pendants or Mayan calendar for a date of your choice. Depending on your tour you may get a similar offering.
Pro Tip: When you arrive back from the tour, plan on heading back to the ship a bit earlier than it seems you need. Why? Because when you leave on an excursion you are quickly whisked away from the end of the dock. But when you return you arrive at the other end of the port area and have to go through a winding shopping/pool/restaurant area – set up rather like the path through an Ikea.
