Cozumel and its cultural secrets
Beyond its spectacular beaches, Cozumel also has cultural secrets to offer you.
When we go on vacation to a paradisiacal destination like the Caribbean
we have in mind to enjoy the sun, sand and sea,
we believe that we only need these three elements of nature to be happy,
but there are also destinations that have to do with culture.
Cozumel not only has the most impressive natural beauties,
it is also developing activities that are linked to culture.
That is why we want to highlight the cultural activities in Cozumel,
after a few days on the beach tanning, you can go to three
spectacular places that will make you reconnect with the past, present and future.
The first is the ruins of San Gervasio, a mystical, millenary site full
of beautiful iguanas that guard this sacred place.
San Gervasio is the largest archaeological zone on the island of Cozumel,
where there are ancient structuresthat frame the remains of the Mayan civilization
and serve as a sanctuary for the goddess Ix-chel.
Upon entering we will feel an energetic atmosphere.
The road is made of stone, as this was the way to know how to get to this or that place,
and this reminds us of the natural intelligence that the Mayas had
to develop their cities and communication routes.
San Gervasio served as a strategic point for the political and economic development of its time.
Most of the structures were used as altars, shrines and for meetings of government officials.
El Pueblo del Maíz
A park that connects us with the Mayan ancestors, and where their way of life is explained,
the daily activities they had and a choreographic representation of their rituals is offered.
Where we will learn that fresh water comes from subway wells, from the liquid that accumulated
from the rainwater and that was accumulated by the surrounding nature.
The Maya also discovered that chicle, a gum extracted from the bark of a tree,
allowed them to stay hydrated while chewing it,
which they did when they had to walk for several hours or days.
There is also an explanation about the goddess Ix-chel,
who was known not only as an entity that intercedes for fertility,
but also for abundance in the Maya land.
We are given a copal bath to get rid of bad vibes and then we enter the pre-Hispanic universe,
where we are told that cocoa was used as currency to buy food,
we are taught how to grind corn to make dough and then we end up
making a tortilla to which we add a delicious pumpkin seed sauce.
Then there is the procedure for making chocolate,
which explains how the cocoa bean is obtained.
These seeds are put in the sun to dry and then roasted on the comal,
and then ground in the metate, without a sweetener, the flavor is similar to coffee,
the Mayas used honey so that the ground cocoa had flavor and became chocolate,
with which they also prepared beverages.
Later there is a choreographic representation of a ritual,
among other cultural activities worth appreciating.
El Planetario
Another of the cultural activities in Cozumel is for lovers of astronomy and anything to do
with space and the environment, there is an ideal place to learn about the past,
present and future: “The Cha’an Ka’an” planetarium, which has state-of-the-art technology.
Thanks to the geographical position of the island, the telescope has been able to see stars,
planets and even galaxies.
