The sun has set on another day in Yucatan, Mexico, home of the great Maya civilization. According to the Maya Long Count calendar, the Maya world was created on the mythological date of August 11, 3114 BC, long before any actual Maya culture is seen in the archeological record. What began with small farming villages grew into a great civilization where religious nobility built sculptured stone monuments that registered events in the lives and history of the ruling class (see Figure 8.1). In the city of Cobá, on the northern Yucatan Peninsula, a series of white roads built between 600 and 800 AD connect a collection of buildings that stretch across an area of about 70 square kilometers. Most of the buildings were situated near the lakes of Cobá and Macanxoc. One building stands out: Nohoch-Mul, meaning “big mound.” It remains today the largest structure in northern Yucatan (see Figures 8.2 and 8.3). Cobá reached its zenith during the eighth century with a population of approximately 55,000 people.