TULUM

The city received in ancient times the Mayan name of Zamá (which means in Mayan “dawn” or “tomorrow”) and the current one, Tulum (which means in Mayan “palisade” or “wall”, name used when the city was already in ruins), refers to the wall that surrounded it, making it an important fort for its defense. Due to the numerous records in murals and other works found in the buildings of the city, it is considered that Tulum was an important center of worship for the so-called “descendant god”. Although inscriptions dating from 564 have been found, most of the the buildings that are appreciated today were built in the postclassic period of the Mayan civilization, between the years 1200 and 1450.

The archaeological site is very compact, especially compared to other Mayan archaeological sites. It is located on a promontory on the shore of the Caribbean Sea and is one of the best preserved Mayan sites, surrounded by the important sites and tourist developments of Riviera Maya, which extend from Cancun to the north, to Tulum to the south. For these reasons, Tulum is the third most visited archaeological site in Mexico, just behind Teotihuacán and Chichen Itzá. 10 minutes from Tulum, traveling to the North, Xel-Ha has been named “World Wonder”, a park with ecological activities. I swim with dolphins, kayaks, snuba, Trek, Trepachanga, river, meliponario and nursery, while the view of the sea also has a lighthouse.

Further north is the Xcaret eco-archaeological park where the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Polé are located, which has: a sample of regional flora and fauna with sea turtles, flamingos, macaws, jaguars, a butterfly, an aquarium of coral reef, orchids and bromeliads. There are also caves and underground rivers to be explored or snorkeling, snuba and trek in coral reefs. One of the biggest attractions in Tulum are the cenotes, large wells of fresh water with many years of antiquity where stalagmites and stalactites have been created.

El Castillo is the most outstanding building because of its location (built on the rock 40 feet from the beach) and its upper temple facade, which is decorated with serpentine columns, zoomorphic masks and a descendant deity. As its name indicates, in the Temple of the Descendant God you can see the figure of a winged deity that descends, the main icon of the city. The Temple of the Frescoes is adorned with murals that seem to reproduce codices, decorated with blue-green paintings on a black background. The House of Columns and the House of the Halach Uinic are located on the main road, important examples of the residential architecture of Tulum. Enjoy a beautiful view of the sea from the cliff, where you can observe the fauna of the region or enjoy the Caribbean Sea.