For a bunch of old stone
buildings, Tulum is a particularly impressive site, perched
as it is high on top of limestone cliffs that spill down to
the turquoise waters of the Caribbean below. The first time
we entered the modest walled city, it took our breath away.
El Castillo, a large temple, is the site's biggest
structure. Regrettably, it was off limits to climb this
last time we were there. But the nearby Temple of the
Descending God is accessible. If there are not too many
people around it's a wonderful feeling to sit in the sun on
the temple's platform with the waves crashing below and
imagine what it must have been like years ago. If you time
your visit for early morning or late afternoon you'll be
blessed with fewer crowds.
Tulum is not a particularly important
city to archeologists. A Late Post-Classic city, the style
of architecture is nowhere near the complexity of the
Classic period. By that time in history the building arts
and stone cutting skills of the Maya had degraded and much
use was made of heavy stucco to cover any rough spots. But
what Tulum lacks in architectural style it more than makes
up for in location. It is now the most visited
archeological site in all of Mexico, with busloads of
tourists coming from Canc£n and cruise ships docked at
Cozumel or Playa. Even its first tourist, John Lloyd
Stephens, American author and adventurer who toured the
Yucat n in the early 1840s, was impressed: 'Besides the
deep and exciting interest of the ruins themselves, we had
around us what we wanted at all the other places, the
magnificence of nature.... We had found this one of the
most interesting places we had seen in our whole
exploration of ruins.'
The walls on three sides enclosing
the city may have been defensive, as they average 18 feet
thick and are between nine and 15 feet high. Entrance is
via one of the original five tunnels through the wall.
Guides are available outside at the new visitor's center
that's complete with snack bars and gift shops. A troop of
brightly dressed Los Olmecas Ototonacos de Veracruz Native
Americans perform ceremonial twirling dances while 
hanging upside-down from a huge flagpole.
(Nothing to do with Tulum or the Maya, but entertaining and
worth the US $1 tip they ask for.) A word of caution if
you're driving a car: The parking lot has odd-angled stone
walls that, if you're not careful, can scrape the body as
you maneuver.
If you're serious about appreciating
many of the Maya ruins in your journeys around the Yucata
n, we recommend An Archeological Guide to Mexico's Yucata n
Peninsula, by Joyce Kelly (University of Oklahoma Press),
available in paperback.
Tulum is the largest Maya
construction built on the coast. Today it is Mexico's most
visited pre-Hispanic site. Tulum was a very important
center of commerce and a place of pilgrimage in the past.
This royal city, perched on limestone cliffs, is worth a
visit because of the magnificent view and the charm of its
buildings. Only 131 km (78 miles) south of Cancun, the walled
city of Tulum was the first Mayan community reportedly
sighted by the Spanish in the 16th century. Perched atop a
cliff overlooking the Caribbean, it is Quintana Roo's most
famous and well - restored site.
There are a
number of structures in Tulum, El Castillo is the most
important. Located on a 40 - foot bluff, it commands a
breathtaking view of the coastline. At one time it
functioned as a lighthouse guiding ships through the
treacherous reefs that lie offshore. Another interesting
structure at Tulum is the Temple of the Frescoes with its
friezes on which the original pigment used to stain the
carved figures can still be seen.
Tulum is the only
walled grouping of ruins discovered on the coast to date.
Archaeologist believe that the city was one of the ports
scattered along the coast of the Yucatan used by Mayan
traders.
