San Gervasio in Cozumel, Mexico

San Gervasio in Cozumel, QR located in a fertile tropical forest is one of the most accessible places if you want to explore Mayan ruins. When you traverse through this forest, if you let your imagination run a bit, you could almost imagine what life was like around 200 to 1500 AD. And when you hit a clearing with a Mayan ruin, it is almost as if it were waiting for you to explore.

The history of San Gervasio is that it was once a ceremonial center for worshipping Ixchel, a goddess of fertility as well as childbirth. It is thought that this Mayan center was occupied for about 1300 years. If you are interested in the ancient Mayan culture as well as their architecture, you will have plenty of opportunities to explore it up close and personal.

Once of the things you should look for is a refined Mayan arch where underneath lies an altar which the Mayans used to worship and leave offerings for the Rainbow Goddess. There is also an area called the Temple of Hands, so noted due to the red handprints gracing the walls. In the midst of all this Mayan ancient culture, you will likely notice some of the local wildlife such as iguanas, tortoises and some other creepy crawlies.

There are some English signs at San Gervasio which go into detail what the area was likely used for but you also might want to invest a few dollars and get a guidebook so that you can do some of your own exploring. The ruins are fairly easy to get to as you would travel Avenida Benito Juarez out of Cozumel and then follow the San Gervasio Access Road. There is a fee for both admission and road access, so be prepared.