Finding life in ancient ruins

CANCUN, Mexico -- Most people know Cancun as a beach resort and spring break destination. But if you're an adventurous traveler looking to channel your inner Indiana Jones, there are also ancient Mayan ruins to be explored within a short drive of the beach.

Places like Coba and Tulum offer something for both curious tourists and those with a deeper interest in anthropology and archaeology.

Located in the jungles of Quintana Roo, Mayan culture in Coba dates back 3,000 years. As the largest archaeological site in the Yucatan peninsula, Coba also holds the distinction of being the least excavated. Archaeologists have explored only a few of the 20,000 structures that once stood here.

Coba was a major Mayan economic center, and La Iglesia -- the church -- is one of the first structures you'll see upon entering. Mayans came here to make sacrificial offerings to the gods, including jewelry, food, animals and even humans.

Nohoch Mul -- Great Hill -- is the tallest pyramid in the area, at 138 feet high. Its steps are crumbling and steep, and I wasn't sure I'd make it to the top. A sturdy rope is attached to the steps to help visitors make the climb. The view from the summit is worth the trek. The dense emerald jungle stretches before you, dotted with gray where the ruins are visible. Sapphire lakes glisten in the distance.

At the peak is a small temple decorated with a figure of the Descending God -- a winged deity heading to earth. You can still see portions of the white limestone roads called sacbe that the Mayans built through the jungle, straight and wide, to link Coba and other Mayan centers like Chichen Itza.

You'll also encounter plenty of exotic birds taking flight and a few iguanas on the grounds. Use insect repellant; mosquitoes are thick.

Easily accessed

Tulum, a half-hour southeast of Coba, is more accessible and in some ways more beautiful. After walking down a barren road to the entrance, and through a long corridor to the ruins, you'll find yourself in a walled oceanfront city that once served as a trading post for merchants to exchange goods.

The crown jewel of this place is El Castillo, the castle. The Mayans came to this shrine, perched on a limestone cliff, to show reverence to the gods. It also served as a watchtower for them to keep sight of enemies approaching by sea. Other buildings worth seeing are Gran Palacio -- Great Palace -- and Templo del Dios Descendente -- Temple of the Descending God. They are roped off to protect their fragile frescoes, but can still be viewed.

Relaxing on the beach is a nice way to end the day at Tulum. Its pristine sands and alluring waters rival those found in Cancun.

More Mayan history

Back in Cancun, Mayan history can be found not only along dirt roads, but also on major thoroughfares.

Kukulcan Boulevard is the heart of Cancun's hotel zone, even though the street is surrounded by water -- the Caribbean on one side, and a lagoon, Laguna Nichupte, on the other. This 14-mile strip bears the name of the 13th-century ruler of Chichen Itza, who sacrificed himself to the rain gods by being cast alive into a 60-foot well. He survived the ordeal from dawn to midday, and rose to power throughout the Yucatan peninsula.

El Rey, the main archaeological ruin in Cancun, is located on Kukulcan. This site is small compared to Coba and Tulum, but is worth visiting. You can walk amid the stone plazas and buildings that made up this fishing village, believed to have been inhabited from the 10th to 16th centuries. El Rey means the king; a skeleton found at the site may have been Mayan royalty. Also known for its high iguana population, El Rey is an easy way to sample the world of an ancient civilization.