In November/December 2023, Debra and I went on a 14-day cruise of the Western Caribbean on board the Regal Princess. We sailed round trip from Galveston, Texas, with port stops in Costa Maya, Belize City, Cozumel, and Roatan. Click HERE to read a short introduction.
This story, the second in a series, is about my day in Costa Maya.
This story, the second in a series, is about my day in Costa Maya.
Costa Maya, Mexico (November 29, 2023) Over the years, Debra and I visited many ports in Mexico, but never Costa Maya, a small tourist region located on the Caribbean coast of the state of Quintana Roo, about 200 miles south of Cancun.
This popular tourist destination—cruise ships alone brought nearly 900,000 passengers to Costa Maya in 2022—includes 2 small villages, Mahahual with a population of 2,636 and Xcalak with a population of 436 (2020 estimates).
This popular tourist destination—cruise ships alone brought nearly 900,000 passengers to Costa Maya in 2022—includes 2 small villages, Mahahual with a population of 2,636 and Xcalak with a population of 436 (2020 estimates).
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Costa Maya tells a fascinating tale of two different lives. One is firmly rooted in its Maya past. Yet it has risen like a Phoenix to become a glorious and inviting tropical retreat offering shopping, relaxing, exploring, sightseeing, water sports, and more.
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~ Princess Cruises
I made my decision weeks ago: I would explore Costa Maya’s Maya past on a tour of the ancient ruins at Chacchoben (chak-CHO-ben), located an hour northeast of the port.
(Debra opted to stay on board the Regal. "Too hot, too humid," she said.)
A farmer discovered the ruins in 1942 as he built a house nearby. To date, archaeologists have excavated and partially restored 4 temples, each built in the shape of a pyramid, 2 plazas, and a plateau called (inexplicably) the Great Basement. According to archaeologists, most of the structures had been modified several times—by and from king to king.
(Debra opted to stay on board the Regal. "Too hot, too humid," she said.)
A farmer discovered the ruins in 1942 as he built a house nearby. To date, archaeologists have excavated and partially restored 4 temples, each built in the shape of a pyramid, 2 plazas, and a plateau called (inexplicably) the Great Basement. According to archaeologists, most of the structures had been modified several times—by and from king to king.
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Our guide, Jesus, told us that indigenous people—agricultural ancestors of the Maya— first settled in this region around 6500 BC. “But it was the Maya,” he exclaimed, “who had the greatest impact on this land.”
“It is their villages and elaborate temples that archaeologists have discovered and uncovered, and through the artifacts found, including written records in the form of glyphs, we know the Maya traded and exported goods, including fabric, jade, and salt, far and wide along the Yucatan peninsula.”
The Maya first inhabited Chacchoben (Mayan for ‘the Place of Red Maize’) around 1000 BC, hundreds of years before they built the pyramids. By 360 AD, it had become the largest community in the region. Like many other Maya communities, it was abandoned about 1000 AD.
“It is their villages and elaborate temples that archaeologists have discovered and uncovered, and through the artifacts found, including written records in the form of glyphs, we know the Maya traded and exported goods, including fabric, jade, and salt, far and wide along the Yucatan peninsula.”
The Maya first inhabited Chacchoben (Mayan for ‘the Place of Red Maize’) around 1000 BC, hundreds of years before they built the pyramids. By 360 AD, it had become the largest community in the region. Like many other Maya communities, it was abandoned about 1000 AD.
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As we wandered through the ruins, Jesus pointed towards a hill, like the one in the background in the photo below. “There are still several temples covered in jungle vegetation,” he said. “In time, with more funding, archaeologists hope to excavate these sites.”
This was my first encounter—EVER—with the Maya culture. It was an awesome experience!
Click here to read my next story, Belize: The Maya Ruins at Altun Ha.
Click here to read my next story, Belize: The Maya Ruins at Altun Ha.