San Gervasio Mayan Ruins, Cozumel
San Gervasio Mayan Ruins, Cozumel
About San Gervasio Mayan Ruins, Quintana Roo, Mexico
The San Gervasio Mayan Ruins (Zona Arqueológica San Gervasio) are an important archaeological site located on the popular Caribbean island of Cozumel, Mexico. This site has been the most well-studied of all the pre-Colombian ruins that exist on the island. The original name of the ruins was “Tantun Cuzamil”, which in the Mayan language means “Flat Rock in the place of the Swallows,” the modern name “San Gervasio” comes from the former ranch that once existed on the land.
San Gervasio was at one point in time considered to be the center of pilgrimages for the Mayan women who lived in the region of Quintana Roo. They would take boats to the island so that they could worship the Goddess “Ixchel”. Aside from being a very sacred place for the locals, it was also an important place of trade and politics.
The site is large but is in rough condition after it was pillaged in the past by the arriving Spaniards. There are six main areas of interest at the site including some isolated temples situated in the jungle, all of which are joined by a network of ancient roads that are called “sacbés.”
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San Gervasio Mayan Ruins, Cozumel
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History of San Gervasio Mayan Ruins
Though the exact dates of construction are unknown, the earliest estimations of occupation go back to around 600 AD and continued up until 1650 AD.
In 1518 Juan de Grijalva and his crew arrived and claimed Cozumel for Spain. Then in 1519 came the Hernán Cortés expedition, which stopped by the island. The Spanish were welcomed in by the Mayan people of Cozumel. They were so nice that Cortez wrote a letter for the locals to be given to any Spanish ship that would arrive on the island, that letter stated “there is no gold here and these are peaceful people.” When the Panfilo de Narvaez ship arrived in 1520 its crewmembers were sick with smallpox and managed to wipe out much of the local population. San Gervasio is home to three large gravesites that were a direct result of smallpox.
San Gervasio Mayan Ruins, Cozumel
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