Cobá
The Great Temple
Cobá is one of the largest cities of the Maya, and reached its peak in 600 AD, the Late Classic period. At its height, the lords of Cobá ruled over a huge territory, exacting tribute from small city states hundreds of kilometres away. Several small nearby lakes made Cobá a rarity among Maya sites: a city with abundant water. This contributed to the prominence and longevity of Cobá and it is among the longest-inhabited of all Maya cities. It eventually succumbed to the might of
Because Cobá is still in the fairly early stages of discovery and reconstruction (50% of it is still hidden in the jungle), it offers visitors a fascinating look at the lengthy and complex process of restoring Maya cities. The largest structures at Cobá are the huge Late Classic temple called Nohoch Mul (shown in the photo - and the tallest pyramid in the Yucatán peninsular) and a giant pyramid called the Castillo. Both rise more than 75 feet above the surrounding forests. Many other structures are still being excavated and even discovered, emerging from the cloak of a thousand years of overgrowth. The gratuitous destruction and historical errors that have flawed other locations have not been visited upon Cobá , leaving us to speculate that once this restoration is complete, the city may rival the greatest of all Maya centres. Among the great achievements of the people of Cobá were towering pyramids, advanced agricultural practices (essential for feeding the 30,000 people estimated to have lived within the city itself), and the building of a system of roads that linked virtually the entire dominion together. These roads, or sacbe, were tremendous aids to commerce -- and to the waging of war.Today's visitors have the privilege of seeing the story as it first begins to unfold, an epic tale still in its early chapters. Also worth a visit for its amazing plaster carvings is the site of Ek Balam on the road from Cancun to Chichén-Itzá
Maya History - Maya Civilization