Tulum Trip Report
Tulum Review and Photos - Tulum Pyramid and city: Tulum means "Wall" or "Walled City" in Mayan. Tulum is about 1 hour south of Playa del Carmen. It dates from about 564-1520 AD with its peak around 1200-1450. Tulum's buildings are small compared to those at other Mayan sites and the carvings are fairly crude. Our driver Reyes with Playa.Info got us here about 15 minutes before the gates even opened. We had the place to ourselves!
The main plaza is surrounded by a low wall near the edge of the cliff and is centered around the small pyramid named the Castillo. The pyramid is the largest structure. The Maya site might have also been called Zama (Dawn). The city remained occupied through the Spanish conquest, but was abandoned by 1500.
The location on the cliffs above the Caribbean is both beautiful and strategic. Tulum is surrounded by the Great Wall on 3 sides - north, south and west. The eastern side is a cliff leading down to the Caribbean.
The walls are 6-15 feet high and have towers on the northwest and southwest corners. There are 5 arched gateways into the city. Sacbes (Mayan roads) lead out of the ruins into the jungle from the five gates. Tulum is laid out along a main sacbe.
This is the only large Mayan ruin site on the shoreline. The city of Tulum was at its height during 1200-1400 - one of the latest Mayan habitations. It was still occupied when the Conquistadores arrived in the 1500s.
Tulum was a trading post. Mayan traders could come ashore on the beach in their boats. The highest building, El Castillo, was also a lighthouse to make navigation easier. When two torches aligned, it showed the way through the reef.
The Maya used large seagoing canoes which were 40-50 feet long and made from mahogany or other tropical hardwoods. These canoes revolutionized commerce for the Mayas. Before canoes, they could only trade what could be carried across the sacbes (white roads).
They didn't use the wheel, carts or wagons. They didn't use animals for cargo. In 1518, an expedition lead by Juan de Grijalva sailed past Tulum. The captain and crew were amazed by the sight of this walled city, with its buildings painted red, blue and white and with a fire on top of the main temple.
About 75 years after the Spaniards arrived, the Mayans abandoned Tulum. But it continued to be visited by Mayan pilgrims. The wall has an interior walkway, from which spears and rocks could be thrown. One theory is that the wall was used by the rulers to protect themselves from the commoners.
There are about 60 restored buildings at Tulum.
Most have signs with information in English and Spanish.
One image throughout Tulum, is the diving god - with appearances like Kukulkan, the feathered serpent god.
Kulkukan, the feathered serpent is also the symbol for Venus, the morning star, which can first be seen from the cliffs overlooking the beach here at Tulum.
Tulum would have been the first Mayan city to see the rising sun everyday, so it is considered the "City of the Dawn".
The largest building at Tulum is the Castillo (Castle) on Tulum's highest cliff. The temple is also a watchtower and a lighthouse. The doorway to the temple has columns in the shape of rattlesnakes, with the tails supporting the roof and their heads adjoining the floor. El Castillo is no longer accessible to the public.
Tulum is located about 50 minutes south of Playa del Carmen. The ruins are north of the town. The entrance to the ruin complex is through a built-up perforation in the wall.
Entrance fee is 50 pesos. Kids under 13 get in for free. There's an additional charge of 30 pesos if you want to use a video camera.
The ruins are open 8am-5pm every day. Start early to avoid the crowds. We arrived about 15 minutes before opening and had the grounds to ourselves for the first hour or so.
There are plenty of guides offering their services for a fee. But we found that the signs, paths and our guidebook made it easy to explore the site without the guide. We also went at our own pace and probably saw more of the ruins this way.
Devin found a place for his "Buddha pose" everywhere we went. Tulum was his favorite ruin. He also went for a swim in the Caribbean at the Tulum beach.
Alissa is the official photographer.
Jennifer found iguanas everywhere we went.
We all loved the beach. That would be Devin bobbing in the Caribbean behind Dylan and Jennifer.
Cowgirl on the Caribbean...
We found a hidden spot on the beach!
Isn't mom cute!! Oh and look... there's Devin again out in the Caribbean....
This is a beautiful place. No wonder the Mayans build a city here!
Charlies. This restaurant in Tulum was featured on the Rachel Ray Cooking show. Our faithful chaffeur Raez with Playa.Info helped us find the joint. The walls are made of old bottles. The food is delicious!
Dan discovered the green Mayan drink called "Agua de Chaya". It is a refreshing juice made from a leafy plant called Chaya, which is similar to spinach. It tastes better than it sounds and it is a digestive to settle your stomach.
