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« Back TULUM, MEXICO 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 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 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
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.
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.
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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The 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.
Their 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.
The Mayan civilization appears to have had its
first home in Guatemala, where there are more than 1,000
classified Mayan sites.