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TULUM, MEXICO

Tulum, 
MexicoTulum 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 many structures at 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.

TULÚM 
Tulm is about a 45 minute ride (by bus, taxi, or rental car) south of Playa del Carmen. The only Mayan city built directly on the sea, Tulum is thought to date from 400- 900A.D. After exploring the ruins and enjoying the spectacular view from atop EL CASTILLO.Tulum Ruins arial view: Tulum, Mexico
you can take a refreshing dip in the Caribbean from the pristine beach in front of the site.  Tulum, in Quintana Roo near the town of El Crucero, is the place to go for ruins on the beach.  It is the most visited Maya ruin and is the biggest attraction on the coast.  It was the only Maya city built on the coast, possibly having housed 2000 people and once functioned as a trade center...

This port city was never conquered by the Spaniards and was one of the last Maya outposts left standing during their revolt against Mexican rule in the War of the Castes during the 1840's.  There is no question why Tulum holds great significance to the Mayans. An impressive sight at Tulum is an imposing castle standing on the edge of a 12 meter cliff at the top of the ruins. Visitors may wish to bring a swim suit to cool off in a cove at the bottom of the site but there are no facilities. The area prime trekking ground for those who want to experience jungle wildlife living amidst pristine rain forest and unrestored Mayan ruins.

 

A little Mayan background
Ancient Mayan Civilizations

Tulum, MexicoThe Mayans' extraordinary architectural and cultural accomplishments rival those of the world's other great civilizations, and Mayan history is inseparable from that of the New World. They had a precise calendar and written language, plotted the movements of the planets, and mastered pottery and weaving. Our cultural and archaeological odyssey will take us to the finest Mayan ruins along the Yucatan.

The exact origins of the Mayas remain unknown. What is known about them is that they dedicated an immense amount of time to erecting giant monuments of stone, in the form of temples, pyramids, and palaces.

Tulum, MexicoTheir civilization existed for hundreds of years, from around 100 A.D. until the arrival of the Spaniards, and seems to have been devoted for the most part to the building of strange architectural forms whose function appears to have been ceremonial, and developed a sophisticated hieroglyphic script.

Their art was no less highly developed, and remains most clearly preserved in the carvings on their altars and the stelae (historical monuments) which they fashioned out of limestone every twenty years.

Mayan Riviera, Riviera Maya, 
Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Akumal, Mayan, Ruins, Mayan Ruins, 
Chitzen Itza, Coba

Tulum, Mexico 
(Wall Photo)The Mayan civilization appears to have had its first home in Guatemala, where there are more than 1,000 classified Mayan sites.

The classical period of the Mayan Empire came to an end in about 900 A.D., when many of the cities in Guatemala were abandoned, and there was a migration towards Mexico and the Yucatan peninsula.

The landscapes of this region are extremely varied and frequently very beautiful. The highlands are sunny, warm by day but pleasantly cool and invigorating at night. Most of the Yucatan peninsula is low- lying, tangled scrub in the north, dense jungle in the wetter south. This is the area where the famous Mayan sites are found. The coast of the Yucatan has some fine beaches, and the heat here is tempered by the winds of the Caribbean.




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