San Gervasio

San Gervasio sits at the centre of the island, a small set of low whitewashed temples and platforms scattered among the jungle. It was the most important Maya shrine on Cozumel and the only one of the island's roughly forty pre-Columbian sites that has been excavated and opened to the public.

The site is modest compared to Chichén Itzá or Tulum — buildings are small, weathered, and need a little imagination — but the setting in the dry forest is atmospheric and the crowds are smaller. A 1.5-km loop links the main structures via shaded sacbé paths. Allow about an hour. There is a small museum at the entrance and basic café. The site lies on the cross-island road, halfway between San Miguel and the east coast.

things to do sight
A story
Before the Spanish arrived, every Maya woman was expected to visit San Gervasio at least once in her lifetime to make an offering to Ixchel, goddess of fertility and childbirth. Women crossed from the mainland by canoe — a journey of about 19 km — to leave figurines and weave cloth at the temples.