Originally known as Polé, this Maya settlement had a similar history to that of nearby Xaman-Há. They were both seen as departure points for pilgrims on their way to the temples of the goddess Ixchel on the island of Cozumel. Polé had a population boom between 600-900 A.D. and, like Xaman-Há, reached its apogee during the Maya Postclassic period in the first half of the second millennium. The ruins of Polé now lie entirely within the grounds of the Xcaret theme park in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Its name comes from its…
