Description
In the main ecological reserve of the island of Cozumel, off the Caribbean coast of Mexico, there is a temple whose roof ends in the shape of a shell, decorated with four rows of shells stuck into the stucco. This unique decoration makes it worth a visit.
Historical overview
A complex of structures built in the east-coast style including the remains of two main temples, whose roofs have collapsed, but might have been vaulted. The El Caracol (“Shell”) building is very close to these. It was a small temple with a vaulted roof and four doors, three of whose sides were subsequently enclosed within a larger building. On the roof there is a small square shrine with four openings and a hole above, which was finished in the shape of a shell decorated with four lines of real shells set into the stucco.