Her complexity adds to the mystique of her temple at San Gervasio. Ancient images depicting the goddess differ as well: Some appear as that of an old woman with claws on her hands and feet, possibly tied to the Mayan name of the island, Ah-Cuzamil-Peten, which means 'land of the swallows.' In other images, Ixchel is a young woman with a rabbit, also a Mayan symbol of fertility and whose shape the Maya saw in the dark of the moon. Different sources list her also as the goddess of the moon, as well as of rainbows, midwifery, childbirth, medicine, and weaving. Mayan women braved the dangerous waters to Cozumel, usually by canoe, to pay tribute. Mayan women, in particular prospective mothers, were expected to make at least one pilgrimage to San Gervasio to the temple of Ixchel, the goddess of fertility. Though Cozumel was economically important as a trading center - its main exports, salt and honey, were considered more valuable than gold - the greater significance of the San Gervasio site was religious. San Gervasio's gray, mossy stones retain the shape of the Mayan community that once thrived there. To walk among these Mayan ruins on a short getaway cruise to Cozumel is to be transported back to 300 CE and revisit ancient Mayan culture. And tucked away in the northern heart of the island is ancient San Gervasio - the island's largest and most accessible archaeological site.

To the south lies El Cedral, the oldest Mayan structure on the island, and El Caracol, a well-preserved hurricane warning structure. To the island's northeastern tip you'll find Castillo Real, a 1,200-year-old lookout tower. Surrounded by thick tropical foliage on the island of Cozumel lie ancient Mayan ruins.

Your short getaway includes a visit to historic San Gervasio.

Take a Mayan ruins cruise as part of a Cozumel excursion during your Princess Caribbean cruise.

Mayan ruins near cozumel mexico