The Yellow Guide to the Mayan Ruins of  San Gervasio

The archaeological site of San Gervasio is situated near the center of Cozumel and can be accessed by a paved road that turns north off the Carretera Transversal (the east-west road that leads to the eastern side of the island).  

The ruins are jointly administered by the Mexican Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and the foundation for parks and museums of Cozumel (FPMC), both of which charge a $4 USD entrance fee at two different ticket booths.

The fee collected by INAH covers the maintenance of the ruins and the fee collected by FPMC takes care of the parking, tourist facilities, and road maintenance. 

The “tour guides” that are available for hire ($20 USD plus tip) at the site are not employees of either INAH or FPMC, but rather independent contractors who may (or may not) have a good grasp of the history of the site, depending on which one you get. If you go with an organized tour group, remember the tour guides prepared talk is geared to the lowest common denominator.  Many people leave these tours asking themselves “what did I just see?”

If you are really interested in knowing about the background of San Gervasio, understanding the remains of the buildings and structures there, and seeing how the Mayan civilization was structured, you definitely need to get a copy of  The Yellow Guide to the Mayan Ruins of San Gervasio.  It is the only guide book available of San Gervasio and was written by a former INAH project co-director who has lived on the island for many years.  The guide book:

	Gives the time-line of the Mayan civilization
	Shows the development of the Mayan political scene on the mainland from the early period through the post classic (including maps)
	Tells about the introduction of the Cult of Ixchel to the island by the Itzá
	Tells the stories of the first European voyages to Cozumel and the conquest of Yucatan
	Explains the Mayan religion, including their gods and sacrificial rites
	Describes the Mayan dress and appearance
	Tells about Mayan food
	Describes how Mayan glyphs were written and read
	Explains Mayan mathematics
	Details Mayan construction techniques and building materials
	Shows a map of the entire site, not just the part open to the public
	Tells about the excavations and surveys of San Gervasio
	Contains a self-guided, building-by-building tour of all the site open to the public, including floor plans, reconstructed views of the fronts, and descriptions of the use of each structure you will see, as well as what the archaeologists found in them when they were excavated
	Explains the importance of the goddess Ixchel to the island and details how her temple at San Gervasio was used
	Tells all about the significance of the year 2012 and how the Mayans calculated time
	Gives a list of other books about the Mayas for further reading
	Tells about the other Mayan sites on the island (including a map of them)

The Yellow Guide to the Mayan Ruins of San Gervasio is available at the FPMC ticket counter at San Gervasio and many shops in town.

But the way to get the most out of the book is to buy it and read it BEFORE you see the ruins and then take it with you when you go. 

Click on one of the buttons below and then follow the instructions on how to buy the PDF version, the Kindle eBook version, or the paperback version of the guide.