20 NOV 22 Cozumel, Mexico

 

This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our cruise in November 2022. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).
Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons), occasionally used for clarification, indicate that source in the caption.

The Viking Daily newsletter showed today's weather forecast as "A Bit of Afternoon Rain 80° F."

The Viking Star was scheduled to arrive at Cozumel Mexico at 7:00 am.

The Viking Daily newsletter describes Cozumel, Mexico as follows:
“With a rich Mayan and Toltec past, the island of Cozumel holds the keys to many of the most intriguing secrets of Mexico's ancient civilizations. At San Gervasio, perhaps the island’s most fascinating site, pre-Columbian women made offerings to Ix Chel, goddess of the moon and fertility. More recently, the Spanish left marks of their early presence in the colorful colonial architecture and lively traditions of San Miguel and at the scenic lighthouse at Punta Sur, part of a nautical museum. Today, this island off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula attracts as many snorkelers as it does history buffs; the Cozumel Reefs National Marine Park is the second-largest coral reef system in the world and renowned for its magnificent scuba diving.

 

Cozumel is an island and a municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. It is separated about 12 miles from the mainland by the Cozumel Channel. The island is about 30 mi long and 9.9 mi wide. The municipality is part of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. The majority of the island’s population lives in the town of San Miguel (pop. 77,236). Large parts of the island are covered with mangrove forest.
The name Cozumel was derived from the Mayan “Cuzamil” or “Ah Cuzamil Peten” in full, meaning “the island of swallows.”
The Maya are believed to have first settled Cozumel by the early part of the 1st millennium AD, and older Preclassic Olmec artifacts have been found on the island as well. The island was sacred to Ix Chel, the Maya moon goddess, and temples here were a place of pilgrimage, especially by women desiring fertility.
There are a number of ruins on the island, most from the Post-Classic period. The largest Maya ruins on the island were near the present downtown area and have now been destroyed. Today, the largest remaining ruins are at San Gervasio, located approximately in the center of the island.
The first Spanish expedition to visit Cozumel was led by Juan de Grijalva in 1518. In the following year, Hernán Cortés stopped here on his way to Veracruz. Both those expeditions were received peacefully by the Maya of Cozumel, unlike expeditions’ experiences on other parts of the mainland. Even after Cortés destroyed some of the Maya idols and replaced them with images of the Virgin Mary, the native inhabitants continued to help the Spanish re-supply their ships so they could continue their voyages.
As many as 10,000 Maya lived on the island then, but in 1520, infected crew members of another expedition brought smallpox to the island, and by 1570 only 186 men and 172 women were left alive. In the ensuing years, Cozumel was often the target of attacks by pirates, and in 1650 many of the islanders were forcibly relocated to the mainland to avoid pirate attacks. In 1688, most of the rest of the island’s population were evacuated inland.

 

When we woke at 6:35 am, the Viking Star was already docked in Cozumel, at the cruise ship terminal near the Mega store (where we used to buy groceries, etc. when spending 6 weeks in Cozumel in early 2002).

MT Sunday, November 20, 6:35 AM Cozumel: view from our balcony of shoreline as we approached the cruise port.

MT 6:35 AM Cozumel: view from our balcony of shoreline as we approached the cruise port.

MT 6:58 AM Cozumel: view from our balcony of orange ferry boat as we approached the cruise port (mild telephoto 69 mm).

At 7:15 am, we had room service breakfast.

8:42 AM - Cozumel: view from our balcony of pier with orange ferry boat docked.

8:43 AM - Cozumel: view from our balcony of pier with blue/yellow and orange ferry boats docked at ferry terminal (telephoto 109 mm).

Two companies operate ferries of two different colors between Cozumel and Playa del Carmen on the mainland.

8:43 AM - Cozumel: view northward to high-rise condos where we had stayed last winter (telephoto 130 mm).

At 9:30, we went to the pier to meet our guide Patrice (Patrick) Sosa and driver Antonio for tour group 16 and bus 16 for the "Ruins of San  Gervasio" (included) shore excursion.

The My Viking Journey web site describes the shore excursion The Ruins of San Gervasio (included) as follows:
2.5 Hours
Visit a Sacred Pre-Colombian Mayan Religious Site
Discover the ruins of a pre-Columbian Mayan religious site during a visit to San Gervasio. Located on the northeastern side of the island of Cozumel, San Gervasio is a Mayan site dedicated to Ix Chel, goddess of the moon and fertility. Mayan women would make the pilgrimage to this site and present offerings to the goddess. Take a tour of the remains of this expansive complex; today, the stone structures are missing their roofs and upper walls; and view Las Manitas (“Little Hands”), which was the residence of the Mayan ruler of Cozumel. On your way back to San Miguel, see the many coves and strands that make Cozumel a beach-lover’s paradise. Back in town, enjoy some free time to shop and explore at your leisure, or transfer directly to your ship.
Moderate - Walking portions may be long and somewhat challenging with occasional step-ups, stairs and inclines. Total time walking or standing normally ranges from 1.5 to 3 hours.

 

10:29 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - palm trunk with spines.

 

San Gervasio Archaeological Park is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, located in the northern third of the island of Cozumel. Its pre-Hispanic name was Tantun Cuzamil (Mayan for “Flat Rock in the Place of the Swallows”). It is now named San Gervasio after it was rediscovered on the grounds of the former "San Gervasio" cattle ranch, which was founded by Mr. Gervasio Novelo in 1858, and named for St. Gervasio. [Our guide said the ranch owner tried to clear the land using dynamite, causing further damage to the long-abandoned Mayan ruins.] The ruins were once the hub of worship of Ix Chel, the goddess of childbirth, fertility, medicine, and weaving. Pre-Columbian Maya women would try to travel to San Gervasio and make offerings at least once in their lives. In 1549, the bishop of Yucatán wrote that the Maya “held Cozumel in the same veneration as we [Christians] have for pilgrimages to Jerusalem and Rome.”
The ruins of San Gervasio are located some distance from the site entrance. Most structures date from the late post-classic period (1200-1500 AD); the site was still in use when the Spanish arrived.
Most of the stone structures at San Gervasio now lack their roofs and upper portions of their walls. The ruins cover 4 districts spread out over several square kilometers, but only certain parts of District 1 are open to the public. Most of the District 1 buildings that are accessible lie within or very near the District 1 Central Plaza Group.

 

Cozumel: San Gervasio - Map of Site ("Acceso" is Entrance) from brochure that normally accompanies the purchase of each ticket to the park.

Periods of the Maya Civilization:

Pre-Classic (500 BC-200 AD)

Early Classic (200-600 AD)

Late  Classic (600-1000 AD)

Terminal Classic (1000-1200 AD)

Post-Classic (1200-1650 AD)

 

10:33 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - our guide Patrick, with red paddle for Viking Star 16 tour group, near the entrance to the site.

10:34 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - our guide (in right foreground) said this was the Tree of Life.

10:38 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - sign near entrance, with "You Are Here" at lower right and key to main sights (in Spanish) at left. Numbers 15, 16, and 17 are outliers at the top) (mild telephoto 42 mm).

10:39 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Tomb Structure with its sign in right foreground and thatched roof over Las Manitas structure in right background.

10:39 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - sign for "The Tomb Structure"; English text reads: "This building is so named due to finding a vaulted tomb in its interior, unique in San Gervasio. The structure is a platform, since it had no building on top of it, only benches and an altar. It is believed that the structure was used for open air ceremonies in which not only the priest participated but also the congregation in the plaza. The structure has two construction periods, the first one was built during the Terminal Classic period (1000-1200 A.D.) and the later one during the Post Classic period (1200-1650 AD.)."

The Tomb Structure (La Tumba) is a square structure located on the southwest side of Las Manitas. The vaulted tomb in the interior of the platform was discovered here in 1973, the only one of its kind discovered at the San Gervasio site.

 

10:40 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Tomb Structure with that sign in center foreground and smaller sign for "Plaza Manitas - Grupo III" in right foreground; at far right is part of thatched roof of building over the Manitas structure.

10:46 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - sign for "Estructura Manitas"; English text reads:

"The Little Hands

"This building is so named because of the red-coloured handprints which mark the wall. The building is comprised of two rooms in which a small temple was built in the interior of one of them. Its use could have been residential as much as ceremonial since the interior space is quite ample. It is thought that it could have been the house of the 'Ah Hulneb', Itza Overlord of Cozumel during the Terminal Classic period (1000-1200 A.D.) and that the inner temple was his personal shrine. 'Little Hands' has two other construction phases, both dated during the Post Classic period (1299-1650 A.D.)."

The Estructra Las Manitas (meaning Little Hands Structure) was constructed during the Terminal-Classic period (1000-1200 AD). It is located east of the District 1 Central Plaza.
Las Manitas could have been the residence of the Ah Hulneb (or halach unik) the Mayan ruler of Cozumel during the Terminal Classic Period. The building consists of two rooms. It has an outer room that was his residence and an inner sanctum with a small temple that was probably his personal shrine. The name of the building comes from stamped red hand prints on one of the interior walls.

Cozumel: Las Manitas - the hand prints are clearly visible in the back, right of the right column (By TonyKnaff - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3958778).

Cozumel: Hand prints at Las Manitas (in Detail) (By Puchku - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32137202).

 

10:46 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Manitas structure with thatched roof over it.

10:46 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Manitas structure with thatched roof over it.

10:46 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - closer view of wall with handprints and two pillars with religious purpose in Manitas structure, with thatched roof over it.

MT 10:48 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - closer view of wall with handprints and on of those two pillars with religious purpose (telephoto 79 mm).

10:49 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - our guide Patrick by Manitas structure with view of the stone path we would take from here.

10:51 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - tree growing through thatched roof over Manitas structure; Patrick said that, if it were cut and removed, it could cause the ruins to collapse.

10:52 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - temple part of Structures 31 and 32.

10:53 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - other end of Structures 31 and 32, a noble residence.

10:53 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - sign for "Structures 31 & 32"; English text reads: "Structure 31 is an unusual residential building since it is typically Mayan-Chontal.  It has large interior spaces with a frontal portico, and its roof was made of palm fronds, while Structure 32 is a small masonry temple. It is considered that the former structure was the house of the 'Halach Uinic' of Cozumel and the latter the private 'chapel' of the liege. Both structures date from the Post Classic period (1200-1650 A.D.)."

10:55 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Patrick and part of our tour group (with "Quiet-Vox" devices on lanyards so we could hear him speaking into his microphone).

11:03 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Structures 31 and 32, view from rear to temple.

11:04 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - our group following Patrick on next path.

11:04 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - red tulipan flower (belonging to genus hibiscus) next to that path (telephoto 130 mm).

11:05 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - our group with Patrick on path toward The Arch.

11:06 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - The Arch, with its sign in front of it, and a small thatched-roof building to the left.

11:11 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - sign for "The Arch Structure"; English text reads: "In prehistoric days, this construction was the entrance or exit of the central part of San Gervasio, leading to the coastal sites, which were reached by means of Sacbé [Path] 1. The pilgrims and traders would reach the famous sanctuary of the Goddess Ixchel and deposit an offering at the altar that lies in the middle of the vaulted passageway. Here one can appreciate the kind of vaulting used, which is shaped like an inverted staircase, common on the east coast. 'The Arch' dates from the Post Classic period (1200-1650 A.D.)."

El Arco (meaning The Arch) was constructed during the Post-Classic period (1200-1650 AD). It is located northeast of District 1 Central Plaza.

Cozumel: The arch at San Gervasio (By TonyKnaff - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3958773).

 
This arch is the main entrance from the north and west to San Gervasio’s District 1 Central Plaza Group. In pre-Hispanic days, this structure was the entrance and exit of the central part of San Gervasio to the coastal sites. It is a simple arch about seven feet tall that straddles the main religious pathway (called a sacbé in Mayan, a word meaning "white road") running northeast from the plaza. In the 1980s, it was reconstructed by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) in the form of similar arches found at other sites on the east coast of Quintana Roo, such as El Cedral, located on the southern portion of Cozumel.

11:11 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - small thatched-roof building near The Arch, with small sign in front of it pointing to the right to "Nohoch Nah."

11:11 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - view down rocky road to The Arch, with its altar in the middle of the vaulted passageway.

11:14 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Patrick and MT (on his right) with part of our group on the next path.

11:15 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - MT with part of our group on the path approaching the Central Plaza.

11:16 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio -  Central Plaza.

District 1 Central Plaza was constructed during the Post-Classic period (1200-1650 AD). It is located northwest of the entrance to the ruins.
The Plaza Group consists of 9 buildings and 10 columns arranged in a square forming a closed courtyard around a central altar platform. Several of these buildings once had roofs made of timber and thatch, which have since rotted away. Others had roofs of wood beams and poured mortar, while a few had rooms constructed of corbeled arches. All were public buildings and included temples, oratories, altars, and a building used to house visitors who came to participate in religious events taking place in the plaza. These structures were the most important in this period.

Cozumel: San Gervasio - “The Altar” on the Central Plaza. In the background, one can see Las Columnas (the Columns) on the left and Los Nichos (the Niches) on the right (By Puchku - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32137392).

 

11:16 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio -  small sign for "Plaza Central - Grupo III."

11:18 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - stone path from Central Plaza (original path blocked off, with paved path to left).

11:19 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio -  Central Plaza, with round pillars.

MT 11:18 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Don and MT by ruins of Central Plaza (telephoto 81 mm).

MT 11:18 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Don and MT by ruins of Central Plaza.

MT 11:19 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Don and MT by ruins of Central Plaza (telephoto 100 mm).

MT 11:21 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Don by ruins of Central Plaza.

MT 11:22 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - MT by ruins of Central Plaza.

11:21 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Central Plaza - side in other direction, with a small sign in front of it indicating people were not to climb on the ruins and a somewhat larger historical marker sign at far right.

11:21 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - sign for "The Niches Structure"; English text reads: "This structure was so named because of the miniature shrines that were built on the sides of the stairway, which must have been used for placing offerings. The upper part had a stone vaulted roof and the interior was predominantly decorated in blue. It was built during the Post Classic period (1200-1650 A.D.)."

The Estructura Los Nichos (The Niches) is located next to Las Columnas, to the north of the Central Plaza. 

11:21 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - sign for "Structure 25 B"; English text reads: "This was a colonnaded hall with a masonry roof, supported with wood beams. It had a bench which ran along the entire interior, embedded into the side and back walls. It differs from the other colonnaded halls in that it has three pillars with square bases and three columnes [sic!] with round bases. This structure was build [sic!] in the Post Classic period (1200-1650 A.D. )."

11:21 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - structure with round columns in Central Plaza, with small sign telling visitors not to climb on the ruins. 

11:21 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - structure with round columns in Central Plaza, with sign in front of it for "Estructura 25 B."

11:22 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Altar Structure with round columns and thatched-roof shelter (for Las Manitas) behind it.

11:22 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - sign for "The Altar Structure"; English text reads:

"This structure had a ceremonial use as it lies in the middle of the plaza, and therefore it must have served as a dais from which the speaker addressed the people gathered here. In 'The Altar' one can observe two different construction periods: to the west there are balustraded steps, completely covered with stucco, which is the oldest construction and dates to the Terminal Classic period (1000-1200 A.D.); the latest structure, which covers the first one, belongs to the Post Classic period (1200-1650 A.D.)."

11:22 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio -  other side of Altar Structure.

11:24 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - our guide Patrick, with face hidden behind red paddle for "Viking Star 16" tour group.

11:24 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - our guide Patrick, still lecturing to our tour group.

11:24 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - sign for "The Columns Structure"; English text reads: "It has seven columns, a bench running along the inner walls and a throne or altar in the middle of the room. The chambers along the side were used to deposit six burials, along with offerings of small obsidian knives, clay incense burners and small stone stelae sculpted with different figures. The building has two construction periods of which the oldest, corresponding to the Terminal Classic period (1000-1200 A.D.), was partially covered by the later one, dating from the Post Classic period (1200-1650 A.D.)."

11:24 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Columns Structure, with small sign telling visitors not to climb on the ruins.

11:28 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Altar Structure, with thatched roof over Las Manitas in background.

11:29 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - Altar Structure, with Columns Structure in background.

11:34 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - small sign for "Sacbé 1" (Path 1), near entrance/exit.

11:39 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - sign, near entrance/exit; English text (shorter than the Spanish and [Mayan?]) reads:

"The archaeologists have worked in the investigation, consolidation and rehabilitation of the material remains found in the Archaeological zone you are about to visit. Through the help of specialists, various pieces, paintings, panels, sculptures and sundry objects have been restored. Physical Anthropologists have analyzed and and [sic?] interpreted the bone remains found during excavations. All have contributed important knowledge concerning our Prehispanic past and have helped make of this Archaeological zone a touchstone of our historical, cultural and ecological heritage. Please help us conserve it.

"If you are about to climb the different buildings in this zone, we recommend you do so with the utmost care so as to avoid accidents.

"The restrictive signs throughout the zone are there so as to avoid its deterioration and to prevent the visitor from exposing himself to danger.

"Let us keep this zone clean by using the garbage cans found in the Service areas.

"You are about to enter an exceptional historical site. Take care of it, for it is yours."

11:39 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - another sign, near entrance/exit; English text reads: "The history of San Gervasio dates back to the Early Classic period (300-400 a.d. [sic!]) when the acropolis "El Ramonal" was buildt [sic!]. This Group was the main center from which all the other smaller settlements, (small hamlets), on the island were controlled. During the late Classic period (600-1000 a.d. [sic!]), the 'Murciélagos' and the 'Cedral' groups were converted into the administrative center of their respective communities. During the Terminal Classic period (1000-1200 a.d. [sic!]) the Itzáes dominated Cozumel, from which point they controlled the trade between Yucatán and region of the Ulúa, Archaeological evidence exists which indicates that the urban settlement model of San Gervasio was copied from the capital of the Itzáe, with its plazas connected by 'sacbeoob' (white roads) like at Chichen Itzá, and pottery notably influenced by this culture. D[u]ring the Post Classic period (1200-1650), San Gervasio rose to become one of the most importand [sic!] centers of pilgrimage in Mesoamerica and was witness to intense commercial trade. San Gervasio rose to become an administrative and religious center in addition to being the seat of government for the entire island; the principal center was the Central Plaza. During the Colonial Period, San Gervasio must have still been inhabited since pottery found there supports this theory."

Outlying Parts of San Gervasio That We Apparently Did Not See or Photograph:
 
Chi Chan Nah (meaning Small House) was constructed during the Post Classic period. It is located to the east of Las Manitas.
This building was an oratorio, or chapel, used by the family of the halach unik who lived in the nearby residence of Las Manitas. It consisted of a large outer room with a small inner sanctum containing an altar.

San Gervasio: Chi Chan Nah (By Ricardo Slzr - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43443229).

 
Ka'na Nah (meaning Tall House) was constructed during the Post-Classic period (1200-1650 AD). It is located west of the District 1 Central Plaza.
This pyramid is the largest single structure in San Gervasio. All of the upper temple was stuccoed and painted in the colors red, ochre, blue, green, and black. Due to certain architectural arrangements in the interior of the small room on the top, this structure may have been the temple of the goddess Ix Chel described in 1552 by Francisco Lopez de Gomara, when he wrote of a temple "where they kept a very strange idol, very distinct from the others. The body of this great idol was hollow, made of baked clay and fastened to the wall with mortar, in back of which was something like a sacristy, where the priests had a small secret door cut into the side of the idol, into which one of them would enter, and from it speak to and answer those who came to worship and beg favors. With this trickery, simple men were made to believe whatever the god told them." In 1618, Diego Lopez de Cogolludo wrote that "they venerated the statue more than the others, sacrificing to it birds, dogs, their own blood, and even men."

San Gervasio: Ka’na Nah (By Ricardo Slzr - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43443233).

 
Nohoch Nah (meaning: Big House) was constructed during the Terminal-Classic period (1000-1200 AD) and Post-Classic period (1200-1650 AD). It is located north of the District 1 Central Plaza
With its intact roof, this is one of the best preserved buildings in San Gervasio. The entire structure was covered with stucco. Inside, (closed off to the public, but visible through the doorway) the interior walls still show signs of a red, ochre and blue mural. This building was a temple dedicated to Ku’kul’kan, the feathered serpent god and used to have an altar in the middle of the structure for presenting offerings. This temple was an obligatory point at the entrance or exit of San Gervasio.

San Gervasio: Nonoch Nah (By Banja-Frans Mulder, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59695856).

 
Los Murciélagos (meaning The Bats) was constructed during the Late-Classic (600-1000 AD). It is located northwest of District 1 Central Plaza.
This compound is made up of several rooms and out-buildings situated on a platform and making up the residence of the halach uinik of Cozumel during the late Post-Classic period. This structure was the most important building in San Gervasio during that period, since it was the principal center of the site. In time, the center moved to the Central Plaza.

San Gervasio: Los Murciélagos (By Puchku - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32137340).

 

1:40 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - replica statue of Ix Chel, who our guide said was the moon goddess, by entrance (mild telephoto 68 mm).

Ix Chel (or Ixchel) is the 16th-century Yucatec name of the aged woman with jaguar ears, the goddess of midwifery, fertility, and medicine in ancient Maya culture. In the past, it was common to take Ix Chel as the Yucatec name for the moon goddess because of the shared association with human fertility and procreation. However, this identification is questionable, since colonial and ethnographical sources provide no direct evidence to show that Ix Chel was a moon goddess.
San Gervasio was a site dedicated to Ix Chel, since it was long considered the primary abode of that goddess. Many statues of Ix Chel were found here and are still being discovered.
Ix Chel was primarily depicted as an older woman (crone) who had an entwined serpent serving as her headdress and dressed in traditional Mayan garb. In this version, she may have, at times, worn a skirt adorned with crossed bones. She may also have, at various times, had claws on her hands and feet. Sometimes she had jaguar ears, since she was a jaguar goddess. She was commonly shown with either a large earthen vessel or with a gaping, frightening mouth.
Sometimes, however, Ix Chel was depicted as a young woman. In this version, she was generally attractive and sometimes had a beak on her upper lip. She also tended to wear some sort of headdress. This younger version of Ix Chel was usually presented in a much friendlier manner than her older counterpart.
Ix Chel was one of four related goddesses worshiped on the island of Cozumel and Isla de Mujeres (Island of Women). Mayan women made pilgrimages to their temples on the island of Cozumel and placed her idols underneath their beds, asking for help.

 

11:40 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - side view of same replica statue of the goddess Ix Chel, by entrance (mild telephoto 68 mm).

11:44 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - another replica statue of Ix Chel, by entrance, with the other statue of her in background.

MT 11:46 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - MT and Don with replica statue of Ix Chel, by entrance, with the other statue of her in background.

11:45 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - side view of that replica statue of Ix Chel, by entrance.

11:46 AM - Cozumel: San Gervasio - two more replica statues of Ix Chel around a fountain, by entrance.

MT 1:15 PM - Cozumel: Don and MT on Malacon walkway near cruise ship port.

MT 1:15 PM - Cozumel: Viking Star (aft end) at cruise ship port.

We got back to the Viking Star around 1:30 pm and went to the Pool Grill (Deck 7) for our regular seared ahi tuna and onion marmalade, with guacamole and lots of salad bar. We had red wine from Rioja (included).

1:40 PM - Cozumel: Viking Star - Don's salad and wine at Pool Grill, with MT's in background.

1:49 PM - Cozumel: Viking Star - Don's and MT's ahi tuna, onion marmalade, guacamole, and wine at Pool Grill.

Then we went to the nearby Mega store for MT's Benadryl, Paracetamol, and insect repellant (much cheaper than onboard). We didn't have our debit card with us, so we had to pay in cash with US dollars. In change for a $20 bill, we got US $5 and one Mexican peso (worth about 20 cents).

MT After 1:49 PM - Cozumel: Spanish translation for insect repellant on MT's iPhone.

MT After 1:49 PM - Cozumel: weather report for "Laguna San Miguel" (part of Cozumel near cruise port) on MT's iPhone.

When we got back to our stateroom, MT decided to do laundry at the free laundromat on our deck, and Don recorded his photos in his notebook.

At 4 pm, passengers had to be back on board as the Viking Star prepared to set sail for our next stop at Belize City (222 nautical miles).

MT 4:10 PM - Cozumel: ferry boats at ferry port near cruise ship port (mild telephoto 57 mm).

5:12 PM - Cozumel: Viking Star - view from our stateroom balcony of high-rise condos north of the lighthouse at Puerto de Abrigo marina, including Peninsula Grand where we had stayed in early 2022 (telephoto 130 mm).

At 6 pm, we went to the Chef's Table (Deck 1) for dinner.

6:08 PM - Cozumel: Viking Star - Chef's Table menu; this side tells about "California Cuisine":

Right side: "The Pacific Coast Food Scene by Guest Chef Rachel Vaughn."

Left side: "The gastronomy of California is marked by an interest in fusion cuisine (integrating disparate cooking styles) and a significant use of fresh local ingredients, typically artistically presented. Proteins low in saturated fats such as lean meats and seafood from the Pacific coast are frequently partnered with an abundance of farm fresh vegetables and fruits, drawing on the wide variety of available produce and rich multi-ethnic immigrant legacy. The term California cuisine arose as a result of culinary movements from the last decades, and should not be confused with the traditional foods of California. French, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, and Japanese cuisine--among many others that continue to hold sway--have all influenced Californian fusion cuisine, making it one of the most interesting and diverse food scenes in the United States."

5:58 PM - Cozumel: Viking Star - Chef's Table menu, other side; the main "Menu" at the right lists only one choice for each course. However, our waiter pointed out that two of the five courses had ginger, to which Don was allergic. For granita, they substituted strawberry sherbet; for dessert, they substituted walnut cake with chocolate slivers (MT's Ojai Mandarin Parfait tasted terrible). At the left is the "California Wine Pairing" list for each course (except the Granita, which was already a drink). Despite the title, only one optional  "Premium Wine Pairing" was actually from the USA, although from Oregon rather than California. We did not find it necessary to pay an additional $25 to substitute any of the "Premium Wine Pairing" choices.

After dinner, we went to the special dining reservations desk outside Manfredi's restaurant (Deck 1) and traded two Chef's Table reservations for two at Manfredi's.

Then we watched the Port Talk for Belize on the TV in our stateroom.