Fresh water supply from underground cenote It offered, however, a great stopping point to talk about the religious history of the Maya. This cenote is no where near the size of the massive cenote of Chichen Itza. The site has a fresh water cenote which the ancients used for their water needs. Underground waterways, called cenotes, prevail in Mexico. The Maya employed the number system in their architecture too, which we saw throughout the tour of the ruins. The impressive system was integral in counting the cycles of the moon and sun, the solstices, and other astronomical phenomenon. With these three numbers, they were able to calculate from 1-19, using the zero as number 20. The Maya used three numbers – a zero, a dot for one, and a bar line for number 5. We also learned about the advanced mathematical acumen of the Maya. Many of the structures were constructed more than 1000 years ago Interestingly, we learned how the number 28 (the number of days in a moon cycle and a woman’s menstrual cycle) played a significant role in the architectural features of San Gervasio. Throughout the tour, the docent explained how the cycles of the sun and moon played such an important role in the architecture and faith of the Mayan people. During the tour, our docent explained the history of the Maya people, spoke of other archaeological sites, and explained the mathematical expertise of the ancient people. We were part of the cruise tour with about 30 people, led by a docent who provided a one-hour tour of the site. Understanding the Mathematical and Astronomical Expertise of the Maya You also may purchase admission and tour the ruins on your own. Multiple tours of the site operate daily. The site is now operated by the National Institute of Anthropology and History. More ruins have been unearthed, and some have been constructed based on findings by archaeologists from Harvard and the University of Arizona who mapped the area in the 1970s, providing the blueprint for some of the reconstructed structures. We rode in the bed of a pickup truck to the ruins.įourteen years later, my son and I toured the site, where many changes had occurred. On that trip, there were few ruins unearthed. Then, we reached the site on a dirt road. My wife and I toured this site years ago. Most of the San Gervasio Ruins are limestone The archaeological site was once a farm, owned by a farmer named San Gervasio, thus the current name of the site. San Gervasio is in the tropical forests of central Cozumel.

The bus ride from the pier to San Gervasio about 20 minutes. Our tour of San Gervasio, which included stops to El Mirador Beach and the Mayan Cacao Company, left from the International Port in San Miguel, the island’s only city. An altar in the central plaza of San Gervasio Our Trip to the Mayan Ruins of San Gervasio Cozumel is a Mayan word for “place of the swallows.” Visitors can see swallows and many other birds on the island today. The Maya called the site Tantun Cuzamil, meaning Flat Rock in the Place of the Swallows. This makes the ruins extremely significant cultural finds. If unable to visit the ruins personally, the women would send their offerings to Ix Chel with other pilgrims. Here, they presented offerings to the goddess, ensuring a successful, fertile marriage. The Mayan women journeyed once in their lives to the Mayan Ruins of San Gervasio. Mayan ruins among the tropical foliage The History of San Gervasio We enjoyed seeing the ruins, learning about the white road to the site, and exploring the culture of the ancient Maya. However, they were significant for the Mayan women. We visited Cozumel and toured the Mayan Ruins of San Gervasio. The ruins are not as vast and impressive as Chichen Itza, Tulum or Tikal. Tucked away on the island of Cozumel lie ruins where the Mayan people worshiped the fertility goddess, Ix Chel.

Tropico 6 ancient ruins road