Sights in Quintana Roo
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El Cedral
This Mayan ruin, which functioned as a jail in the 19th century, is the oldest on the island, dating way, way back to AD 800. It's not obviously alluring, but it is the most accessible of Cozumel's ruins. The ancient structure is the size of a small house, so keep your eyes peeled. El Cedral is thought to have been an important ceremonial site. Today a small stucco church sits next to the ruin.
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A
Playa Delfines
Delfines is about the only beach with a public car park; unfortunately, its sand is coarser and darker than the exquisite fine sand of the more northerly beaches. On the upside, the beach has great views, there are some nearby Maya Ruins to check out and, as the last beach along the boulevard, it is rarely crowded. Heed the signs regarding swimming conditions as undertows are common here.
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Park Las Palapas
Park Las Palapas is quiet and safe, a great place for an afternoon picnic or an evening stroll.
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Grupo Nohoch Mul
In the northeast you will reach a ball court on the right side of the path. Look at the ground in the center of the court to spot a carved stone skull (the winner or the loser of the ball game?) and the carved relief of a jaguar.
More weathered stelae lie at the north end. After the ball court, the track bends between piles of stones - a ruined temple - and you reach a junction of sorts. Turn right (east) and head to the structure called Xaibé. This is a tidy, semicircular stepped building, almost fully restored. Its name means 'the Crossroads,' as it marks the juncture of four separate sacbeob.
Going north from here takes you past Templo 10 and Stela 20. The exquisitely …
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Isla Mujeres Tortugranja
Although they are endangered, sea turtles are still killed throughout Latin America for their eggs and meat, which is considered a delicacy. Three species of sea turtle lay eggs in the sand along the island's calm western shore, and they are now being protected - one tortugita (little turtle) at a time.
In the 1980s, efforts by a local fisherman led to the founding of the Isla Mujeres Tortugranja, 5km south of town, which protects the turtles' breeding grounds and places wire cages around their eggs to protect against predators. Hatchlings live in three large pools for up to a year, then are tagged for monitoring and released. Because most turtles in the wild die within t…
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Kohunlich archaeological site
The Kohunlich archaeological site sits on a carpeted green. The most accessible of the corridor's ruins has nearly 200 mounds still covered in vegetation. The surrounding jungle was a thick tangle of half-felled trees at last pass.
The ruins, dating from both the late pre-Classic (AD 100-200) and the early Classic (AD 300-600) periods, are famous for the great Templo de los Mascarones (Temple of the Masks), a pyramid-like structure with a central stairway flanked by huge, 3m-high stucco masks of the sun god. The thick lips and prominent features are reminiscent of Olmec sculpture. Of the eight original masks, only two are relatively intact following the ravages of archaeo…
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Grupo de las Pinturas
You can reach the Grupo de las Pinturas (Paintings Group) by heading 200m toward the Grupo Macanxoc and turning left. If you're on a bike, you'll have to park it here and return to it (this is the case at a few other spots as well). The temple here bears traces of glyphs and frescoes above its door and remnants of richly colored plaster inside.
You approach the temple from the southeast. Leave by the trail at the northwest (opposite the temple steps) to see two stelae. The first of these is 20m along, beneath a palapa. Here, a regal figure stands over two others, one of them kneeling with his hands bound behind him. Sacrificial captives lie beneath the feet of a ruler at …
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El Castillo Real
Down the same intimidating road that leads to Punta Molas, are the large Mayan ruins known as El Castillo Real (The Royal Castle). The archaeological site, as well as the Aguada Grande ruins a few kilometers' hike away, are both quite far gone, their significance having blown off into the breeze some time ago. Still, half the fun is in getting there, right?
Other ruins of interest include the temple at San Gervasio, which was erected by the Maya as a tribute to Ixchel, the moon goddess of fertility. Female pilgrims came here from all over the region to pay tribute. San Gervasio sits between San Miguel and the east coast, northeast of the Carretera Transversal.
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Museo de la Isla de Cozumel
Exhibits at the fine Museo de la Isla de Cozumel in San Miguel present a clear and detailed picture of the island’s flora, fauna, geography, geology and ancient Maya history. Thoughtful and detailed signs in English and Spanish accompany the exhibits. It’s a good place to learn about coral before hitting the water, and it’s one not to miss before you leave the island. A courtyard in the back contains a na (thatched Maya hut) with someone in attendance who will explain (in Spanish) the various elements that made up Maya domestic life: the toys, utensils, foodstuffs, a raised garden bed for kitchen herbs and more.
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Grupo Cobá
Walk just under 100m along the main path from the entrance and turn right to get to La Iglesia (Church), the most prominent structure in the Cobá Group. It's an enormous pyramid; if you were allowed to climb it, you could see the surrounding lakes (which look lovely from above on a clear day) and the Nohoch Mul pyramid.
Take the time to explore Grupo Cobá; it has a couple of corbeled-vault passages you can walk through. Near its northern edge, on the way back to the main path and the bicycle concession, is a very well-restored juego de pelota (ball court).
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Parque Punta Sur
The southern tip of the island has been turned into a rather overpriced ‘ecotouristic’ park. Visitors board an open vehicle for the 3km ride to visit picturesque Celarain lighthouse and the small nautical museum at its base. Another vehicle carries visitors to Laguna de Colombia, part of a three-lagoon system that is the habitat of crocodiles and many resident and migratory waterfowl. Crocs can be seen (when they feel like it) from shore, via a trail through mangroves or a bridge over the lagoon.
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Parque Chankanaab
A popular snorkeling spot, especially when cruise ships are in port, is Parque Chankanaab. However, there’s not a lot to see in the water beyond some brightly colored fish and deliberately sunken artificial objects. The beach is a nice one, though, and 50m inland is a limestone lagoon surrounded by iguanas and inhabited by turtles. You’re not allowed to swim or snorkel here, but it’s picturesque all the same. The beach is lined with palapas and fiberglass lounge chairs, and you can rent snorkel and dive equipment.
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Fortress
The Fortress above the lagoon was built to protect citizens from raids by pirates and the local indigenous population. It also served as an important outpost for the Spanish in the War of the Castes. In 1859 it was seized by Maya rebels, who held the fort until Quintana Roo was finally conquered by Mexican troops in 1901. Today, with formidable cannons still on its ramparts, the fortress remains an imposing sight.
It houses a museum exhibiting colonial armaments and uniforms from the 17th and 18th centuries.
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Templo de la Estela
Templo de la Estela is also known as the Temple of the Initial Series. Stela 1, now in the British Museum, was found here. It was inscribed with the Maya date corresponding to AD 564 (the 'initial series' of Maya hieroglyphs in an inscription gives its date). At first this confused archaeologists, who believed Tulum had been settled several hundred years later than this date. It's now thought that Stela 1 was brought to Tulum from Tankah, a settlement 4km to the north dating from the Classic period.
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B
Tulum Ruins
The ruins of Tulum preside over a rugged coastline, a strip of brilliant beach and green-and-turquoise waters that will make you want to tear up that return ticket home. It’s true the extents and structures are of a modest scale and the late post-Classic design, workmanship and ornamentation are inferior to those of earlier, more grandiose projects – but wow, those Maya occupants must have felt pretty smug each sunrise. Iguanas are everywhere, and many act as if they own the place.
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Amigos de Isla Contoy
The trip gives you about two hours of free time to explore the island's two interpretive trails, skim through materials in the visitors center and to climb the 27m-high observation tower. For around $100 per person, a park biologist will take you on a tour of Laguna Puerto Viejo, a prime nesting site; funds go toward park upkeep and research projects. Contact the Park Headquarters on Isla Mujeres.
Amigos de Isla Contoy has a website which has good information on the island's ecology.
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Templo de las Pinturas
The two-story Templo de las Pinturas was constructed in several stages around AD 1400-1450. Its decoration was among the most elaborate at Tulum and included relief masks and colored murals on an inner wall. The murals have been partially restored but are nearly impossible to make out. This monument might have been the last built by the Maya before the Spanish conquest and, with its columns, carvings and two-story construction, it's probably the most interesting structure at the site.
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Maya Complex
This Maya complex is Cozumel’s only preserved ruins, and a prime example of the local government’s efforts to milk dollars out of cruise-ship passengers. San Gervasio is thought to have been the site of the sanctuary of Ixchel, goddess of fertility, and thus an important pilgrimage site at which Maya women – in particular prospective mothers – worshipped. But its structures are small and crude, and the clay idols of Ixchel were long ago destroyed by the Spaniards.
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Estructura 25
Estructura 25 has some interesting columns on its raised platform and, above the main doorway (on the south side), a beautiful stucco frieze of the Descending God. Also known as the Diving God, this upside-down, part-human figure appears elsewhere at Tulum, as well as at several other east-coast sites and Cobá. It may be related to the Maya's reverence for bees (and honey), perhaps a stylized representation of a bee sipping nectar from a flower.
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Kinich-Ná
Part of Dzibanché but well removed from the main site, Kinich-Ná consists of one building. But what a building: the megalithic Acrópolis held at least five temples on three levels, and a couple more dead VIPs with offerings. The site's name derives from the frieze of the Maya sun god once found at the top of the structure. It's an easy drive of 2km along a narrow but good road leading north from near Dzibanché's visitors center.
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Santuario de la Cruz Parlante
The Santuario de la Cruz Parlante is five blocks west of the gas station on Hwy 307. There's no sign at the site, but you can't miss the stone wall with a gate. Some of the town's residents do not like strangers in the sanctuary, and may try to take your camera if they see you using it here. The building, a thatch roof set over walls, is next to a small cenote and set on a rock slope. A sign on the door says no one may enter wearing a hat or shoes.
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San Gervasio
This Maya complex is Cozumel’s only preserved ruins, and a prime example of the local government’s efforts to extract dollars out of cruise-ship passengers. San Gervasio is thought to have been the site of the sanctuary of Ixchel, goddess of fertility, and thus an important pilgrimage site at which Maya women worshipped. But its structures are small and crude, and the clay idols of Ixchel were long ago destroyed by the Spaniards.
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C
Hacienda Mundaca
This hacienda is at the large bend in Avenida Rueda Medina, about 4km south of the town. Its story is perhaps more intriguing than the ruins that remain. A 19th-century slave trader and reputed pirate, Fermín Antonio Mundaca de Marechaja, fell in love with a local woman known as La Trigueña (Brunette). To win her, Mundaca built a two-story mansion complete with gardens and graceful archways, as well as a small fortification.
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Dive Sites
Playa is one of the best places on the coast to dive and snorkel. You can grab a snorkel and mask and dive in right from the beach, but the most spectacular underwater sites are at the offshore reefs. Playa is a popular jump-off spot for exploring the mysterious underwater caves and cenotes (sinkholes) in the region. Several outfitters in town offer instruction, certification courses, and scuba and snorkeling trips.
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Punta Molas
Head northeast, fellow traveler, and you'll find yourself at the deserted lighthouse of Punta Molas. But take a 4WD, as this point isn't the easiest to reach. You'll want to fill up that gas tank and be prepared - there isn't much traffic around here to flag down for help. Once in the vicinity, you'll find some fairly good beaches and some minor ruins. The best camping spot along the road is at the lovely Playa Bonita
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