After visiting this Mayan site rich in history, check out the nearby theme park Xel-Há.
( 3 Ratings and 2 Comments )
The Mayans were an amazing and somewhat mysterious people who, judging by the monuments they left behind, spent a heck of a lot of time building big stone structures.
Most of their temples were built in the jungles—Chichén Itzá (recently chosen as one of the seven new wonders of the world) is undoubtedly the most famous. But Tulum, Mexico, located on the Yucatán Peninsula, is believed to have been a center of commerce for the Mayans and a resort destination for Mayan royalty.
Today, Tulum, the only Mayan city built on the shores of the Caribbean Sea, is growing more popular, thanks to the development of nearby Playa del Carmen and the increasing number of cruise ships that offer excursions to this ancient site.
Jo Simon
It costs about US$4 to access Tulum (free on Sundays, $3 extra if you want to bring along the video camera), and you certainly can spend a couple of hours wandering around the expansive archaeological site on your own. But I recommend hiring a guide well-versed in Mayan history, culture and story-telling, especially if you have easily bored kids in tow (about $5).
Looking at the structures is well worth the four bucks, but understanding why those structures were built and what the great Mayan cultures believed is priceless. For example, our guide from Lomas Travel explained how Mayans decorated their teeth with gems and flattened their foreheads to achieve their standards of beauty.
The site has 60 structures, many of them in remarkably good shape considering they have been standing for 900 years. The entire city is built on a cliff above the water and is protected by large stone walls on three sides—in Mayan, Tulum means “walled city.”
Drew And Merissa
Its choice spot on the shore of the Caribbean made it the center of commerce for the Mayans. Goods arrived by boat and were processed through Tulum before being sent onto central Mexico.
Tulum is about an hour south of Playa del Carmen, the heart of the Riviera Maya. You can easily get there on your own by rental car. It’s a straight shot south on Highway 307.
But in my family, vacation means never having to say you drove, so we rent cars only when there simply is no other option for travel. And when it comes to getting from Playa del Carmen to Tulum, options abound—from public buses to private cabs to group tours.
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A Guide is a must!
by Thorgal on May 18, 2008
I agree with Cindy that hiring a guide is a must when visiting Mayan ruins. They can bring those old structures to life by explaining what their role was and pointing to interesting artifacts. Mayans were great astrologer mathematicians. Much thought and planning was put in the architecture of sites such as Tulum where for example buildings are aligned so that the center column of the Temple of the Frescoes is illumined by the rising sun during the equinox. One of the marvels you will surely miss without a guide!
A Dream!
by Calistoga on March 26, 2008
This destination is at the top of my list. So many of my family members have visited Tulum as long ago as 1985. This article just reminds me of how badly I want to go.