Coba & Temazcal
The last impressions for my Californian girls to take home were the Coba pyramid and temples, and a temazcal purification ceremony (sweat lodge). While the Kukulkan pyramid in Chichen Itza is the most popular one, the Nohoch Mul pyramid in Coba is the tallest Mayan pyramid of the entire Yucatan peninsula. It is only topped off by the impressive pyramid in Tikal in Guatemala. Coba was an important trade hub for the Maya. It’s located in the jungle about a half hour drive from Tulum, and in ancient times it was connected to other cities like Xcaret or Chichen Itza by “Sac Be” (white roads), which were elevated to be passable even when the terrain was flooded during raining season, and covered with crushed sea shells to reflect the moon light so traders and messengers could travel by night to avoid the heat of the day.
We climbed the 120 steps to the top of the Nohoch Mul pyramid. The temple on the top is dedicated to Ah Mucen Cab, the Mayan god of honey bees, and you can see images of a descending figure above the two entrances. My friend guided us into a short prayer for the bees worldwide.
After visiting the archaeological site of Coba, we had a Yucatecan buffet lunch at one of the restaurants at the Coba lake. To our surprise, a pig was strolling around freely. I have intimate knowledge of this region – let me tell you: pigs are not a typical sight around here. It didn’t quite enter the restaurant – but some stray dogs did. And they were well taken care of by my visiting friends!
The next segment was a visit of the Punta Laguna monkey reserve, but there were 2 setbacks: First: we took our time and would have been behind schedule for the temazcal. Second: the information on the internet was obsolete and admission had gone up from 80 to 150 pesos per person. Additionally, the guardians at the entrance recommended hiring a nature guide (for an additional 500 pesos) in order to know where to look for monkeys. Considering that we had so little time anyway, we skipped the monkey reserve this time and arrived just in time for the temazcal in the next village.
I have known Laura and Juan for many years. Juan has been a temazcalero for about 30 years, and Laura joined him for the past 15 years or so. They are a wonderful couple and so in-sync. Find out about their work, or book a temazcal or Mayan wedding at their website Eventos Luz.
The fire was already burning when we arrived, heating up the stones. We changed clothes, got smudged with copal resin and went into the womb of Mother Earth. It’s pitch dark inside the temazcal dome and there was a split moment when one of the youngsters panicked as the herbal essences splashed over the hot stones, but the energy shifted right away with the chanting and drumming. I had no doubt that the two women from California would welcome the experience, especially since one of them had been my long time friend. And I’m thrilled to say that their two daughters blended right in. In the end it seemed as if this kind of event was natural to them.
We all can’t wait for a repeat visit, and we have already a tentative “to-do” list in mind!
I hope you found inspiration in this. Please feel free and contact me for further information, or find out about other tours in the Riviera Maya here.
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