Home to the goddess ixchel, the island was a sacred place of pilgrimage and a major center of commerce. The guide begins with a description of cozumels early history, starting with the earliest premaya inhabitants, continuing through the mayan period of occupation and the islands subsequent discovery and conquest by the spanish. The mayan ruins will give you an idea about this ancient tribe and the explanations of the guides are super interesting. San gervasio is the largest mayan ruins site on cozumel, and also the most significant. Like the rest of cozumel, many aspects of the san gervasio ruins are a mystery that began with the maya and remain today. San gervasio is included in many of the tours that operate from cruise ships on the island. Everything you need to know before you go to the ruins. The ruins arent as big and impressive as those on the mainland at chichen itza or tulum, but the park still makes for a fascinating cultural and historical.
During your visit you can walk along limestone roads through the vestiges of mayan construction as your guide shares fascinating and myths and the history of. The ruins are thought to be the place of worship of goddess ix chel. It was popular for many mayans to visit once in their lifetime on a type of pilgrimage. The archaeological site of san gervasio is situated near the center of cozumel and can be accessed by a paved road that turns north off the carretera transversal the eastwest road that leads to the eastern side of the island.
Visit san gervasio mayan archaeological site on your trip. San gervasio is an archaeological site of the precolumbian maya civilization, located in the. Maya ruins of san gervasio on cozumel illustration. They are important not only for their size but because they were religious site for ixchel, the goddess of mayan midwifery and medicine, according to. Freedom of the seas caribbean western our guide seemed to have a pretty good grasp of the culture and what took place during the. Exploring the mayan ruins of san gervasio in the middle of the island of cozumel, mexico in the caribbean sea.
The cozumel ruins have basic services and facilities including restrooms, a snack bar, free parking, and souvenirs and handicrafts available for purchase. San gervasio mayan archaeological site cozumel 2020. A guide to the mayan ruins of san gervasio on the island of cozumel, mexico. Maya archeaological sites on isla cozumel hachette book. I have a photo of a lady in my picture at san gervasio ruins in cozumel my husband and i were the only ones. Check out my ebooks and paperbacks, available on amazon books here. The site of this worshiping was what is now the san gervasio ruins, located on the transversal road going east on the island. The mayan ruins of san gervasio is like a window to the mayan culture and architecture. While en route to the san gervasio ruins, your local tour guide will recount the history of the maya civilization in the yucatan peninsula. Cozumel tour with private driver and tequila tasting 2020.
Youll hear about the importance of the san gervasio site to the maya, as well as interesting facts about cozumel. Hello we are staying in playa but taking the ferry over for a day visit to cozumel. San gervasios prehispanic name was tantun cuzamil, mayan for flat rock in the place of the swallows. Maya ruins of san gervasio the maya is believed to have first settled cozumel by the early part of the 1st millennium ad, and older preclassic olmec artifacts have been found on the island as well.
About san gervasio mayan ruins on cozumel island, san gervasio. San gervasio san gervasio ruins mayan ruins in cozumel. The religious center was built as sanctuary to the goddess ixchel. Visiting san gervasio is a delightful way to mix relaxing and mayan history. See all books authored by ric hajovsky, including tulum. The island was sacred to ix chel, the maya moon goddess, and the temples here were a place of pilgrimage, especially by women desiring fertility. At the time san gervasio was being created, mayan artists started to use more representations of the female figure in the historic monuments.
Maya ruins san gervasio ruin on cozumel the history of san gervasio dates back to 300400 ad. Ric hajovskys books and articles on these subjects are meticulously researched and provide views into the past that you cant get from tour guides or regular guide books. The maya archeological site of san gervasio has an unusually long history, beginning sometime around 100 bc and continuing as late as the 16th century. The yellow guide to the mayan ruins of san gervasio. Guide to san gervasio mayan ruins on cozumel, mexico. They are not as well known as their larger counterparts. We took a tour of cozumels main cluster of ruins at san gervasio, in the center of the island, and learned more about the beliefs of this fascinating people. San gervasio is cozumel islands largest archaeological site. While many of the other mayan ruins like chichen itza or tulum were dedicated to human sacrifices meant to please the thirteen mayan gods, san gervasio was different. He arrived at the hotel on time, gave us some history on cozumel, and structured the day based on what we were interested in. The ruins of san gervasio located on the island of cozumel in mexico were once an important site of pilgrimage to maya people who lived from c.
We visited san gervasio mayan ruins and were given an incredibly informative tour of the archaeological site by a. Most cozumel island tours visit the san gervasio ruins, along with other local. In addition, cozumel history began as a pilgrimage site. The mayan ruins at san gervasio include temples honoring ixchel, the moon goddess. It was a holy site, dedicated to ixchel, the goddess of fertility. Also dating to san gervasios later era, this was the temple of the goddess ixchel, and in its heyday would have been covered in stucco and painted red, blue, green, and black. This photograph shows some maya ruins from the san gervasio archaeological site, which is located on the island of cozumel in mexico. Located at the center of the island cozumel, just off the coast of the yucatan peninsula, the san gervasio ruins are an attraction for both their archaeological significance and their wildlife. Mayan ruins and beach time mexico activities lonely planet. Are taxis avaialble at ferry area to take us to ruins.
Follow in the footsteps of mayan women, who were expected to make the pilgrimage to san gervasio mayan archaeological site at least once in their lifetime. The san gervasio ruins are about nine miles or 23 minutes by car, taxi or bus from san miguel. If you are interested in the history of cozumel, or factual information about the mayan ruins of tulum, xcaret, or san gervasio, this is the spot. San gervasio mayan archaeological site cozumel 2020 all you.
Cozumel mexico is known for many things but one of its hidden treasures has to be the san gervasio ruins. It was a great afternoon and very informative, if you are interested in mexicos history this is a must see in cozumel. Best of cozumel cozumel choice cozumel mayan ruins. Many books, blogs, and papers have been written about the mayan prophecies regarding 2012 and the end of the world. Mayan women would pilgrimage here from all over the country to pray at the temples of san gervasio. The bizarre events, odd theories, and offbeat characters of tulum, and the true history of tulum. Guide to the mayan ruins of san gervasio cozumel, mexico. Loved it even thought its no tulum, these now ruins played a key role in mayan culture, and our guide detailed the history of the ruins wonderfully. The bizarre events, weird connections, wacky theories, offbeat characters of tulum. Prior to the influence of the spanish, san gervasio was called tantun cuzamil, which translates to flat rock in the place of the swallows. It is situated in what is now the state of quintana roo, mexico. Mayan ruins of san gervasio ric hajovsky our books.
For the mayans, cozumel was the island of fertility. Be aware of the giant lizards, resting between the rocks of the ruins. San gervasio is the most important mayan archeological site on cozumel island. Finally, on the northeastern edge of san gervasio rests nohoch nah big house, a boxy but serene temple. The area is constituted by six architectural sets and other isolated temples joined by a network of white roads called sacbes they are of great interest and give us an idea of how the mayan developed their religious, administrative and daily life activities. The ruins were once a hub of worship to of the goddess ix chel, meaning she of the rainbows.
Though some of the lesser visited ruins in the yucatan peninsula, the san gervasio mayan ruins are an absolutely fascinating piece of maya history and definitely worth a visit. The final section of the book describes the workings and history of the mayan. Truly loved reading about the mayan beliefs, expertise and cultural history here and hope i get to see fascinating place one day. Its main attraction would have to be the san gervasio maya site. Plus, if something is that old in the first place then maybe it should have stayed in the history books where it belongs. Extending through 10 acres of lush vegetation, this site and restoration project will give you a glimpse into the ancient maya civilization. San gervasio mayan archaeological site cozumel all you need.
For a selfguided tour, as well as the true history of the ruins, a guidebook is available at the first ticket counter as well as several of the souviner shops near the entrance. Cozumel survival manual, the true history of cozumel, natural history of cozumel,the true history of tulum, the secrets of xcaret, guide to the san gervasio mayan ruins, you cant get there from here, and the trader ric series recounting my ethnological adventures in central and south. You will be immersed in the mayan history at san gervasio archaeological site and then enjoy the flavors and beauty of one of the most beautiful beach club on this island. It was a ruling centre, which controlled all the small island villages around. The lack of aweinspiring temples on cozumel belies its true importance to the maya civilization. The san gervasio mayan archaeological site is set amidst native trees and plants. Exploring ancient mayan ruins on cozumel, mexico san. Immerse yourself in the mayan history at san gervasio ruins archaeological site and enjoy the flavors and beauty of cozumel. Architectural styles, mayapan and east coast styles. The most important highlights of the mayan ruins mexico trip guide 1. San gervasio is the spanish name and the original, or prehispanic name was either tantum cuzamil or tantun cuzamil. Ric hajovsky books list of books by author ric hajovsky. Lucky that you got to see this site twice, with a gap of 14 years to share how things are different now.
The final section of the book describes the workings and history of the mayan calendar and the relevance of the date 2012 to the mayan long count. The ghosts of chichen itza and the 2012 apocalypse it is now officially 2012 and much has been made about this year. Blissmersion an unschooled moms guide to family travel. Visit to the mayan ruins of san gervasio family well. I was in awe with the cultural significance of this place and how the mayans made there way to the island. The ruins were once a hub of worship of the goddess ix chel, an aged deity.
It is relatively close to san miguel, about halfway across the island on the main midisland road carretera tranversal cross island. A sanctuary of the maya goddess ix chel used to be located at this location, which drew pilgrims from across the maya world. It is believed that san gervasio served as a sacred city. Of course, that by no means implies that they are not impressive or played an important role in the history of.
Another guidebook is also available from amazon books as either a kindle ebook or a paperback, entitled guide to the mayan ruins of san gervasio, cozumel. In the center, one sees the niches structure, which was once composed of miniature shrines that were built on the sides of a stairway. San gervasio cozumels maya ruins the yucatan for 91 days. Book your tickets online for san gervasio mayan archaeological site, cozumel. The people were peaceful and humans were not sacrificed here. Both groups were received well by the maya of cozumel. During the period of 1200 ad, the itzas dominated cozumel, from which point they controlled the trade between yucatan and the region. Hell, san gervasio sounds like a babys food in spanish made by some cult. We went to the san gervasio ruins and it was an interesting trip. The second group of european visitors came with the hernan cortes expedition, which stopped by the island on the way to veracruz in 1519. An ancient reminder of the oncemighty mayan civilization, the spiritual site was dedicated to the worship of a feminine god, ix chel, hence its.
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