Iguanas take over when the tourists depart, so the abandoned city is never entirely empty.

The location of Tulum, relative to Chichen Itzá, Cancun, and Coba

Click maps and photos for an expanded view 

HISTORY OF TULUM

A reconstructed section of the boundary wall that once surrounded the city of Tulum, keeping out any invaders, and separating the common people from the elite: the nobles, priests, and wealthy merchants.

The traders carried mostly low density, high value trade goods, things like jade, turquoise, and feathers from rare birds, as well as more utilitarian items like salt, obsidian, and honey. Dried cacao pods were a special commodity, often used as a form of currency. There was also trade in ideas, construction techniques, and artistic styles, which helps to explain some of the similarities between disparate cultures that were separated by significant distances.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

Tulum was one of many ports and trading centers serving the vast territory of the ancient Maya. The elite class of nobles and priests who ruled those lands had an abiding fondness for the finer things, so the trade in such items was brisk, and quite lucrative. Without wheels or pack animals, anything transported over land had to be packed on the backs of porters. Such men braved significant hardships, crossing rugged mountains and dense jungles, fording rushing rivers, and defending themselves from any hostiles who might attempt to hijack their cargo.

Mayan trade commodities, and the routes followed by traders on both land and sea. Coastal trade was by far the most efficient.

It is commonly believed that the port cities were controlled by the larger Mayan centers that lay further inland; that the nobles in charge of Tulum, for example, were underlings, subservient to the Lords of Coba. According to one theory, the trade wasn’t really trade at all, because everything went in one direction, like a pipeline that supplied, not water or oil, but luxury goods, all bound for a single destination. According to another theory, the coastal Maya were an entirely different people than the inland Maya, historically, culturally, even physiologically, and that they controlled the flow of trade, ultimately for their own benefit. The trading relationship between the ports and the inland cities is well documented; what’s not entirely clear is the pecking order. Who was actually in charge?

Tulum was never “rediscovered,” or stumbled upon, like so many other Mayan sites, because it was never lost. It’s one of the few Mayan cities that was still in use when Europeans first arrived in the area. After it was abandoned, the tropical vegetation enveloped the stone structures, but they never disappeared from view because the Castillo, the site’s largest building, is perched on a prominent bluff overlooking the coastline. It was put there to serve as a landmark, clearly visible from the sea, and so it is. Spanish Captain Juan de Grijalva’s expedition sailed past Tulum in 1518, and in his words, it was “a village so large that Seville would not have appeared larger or better.”

The American writer John Stephens and his illustrator, Frederick Catherwood visited Tulum on their second expedition to the Yucatan in 1841, which they documented in Stephen’s book, a two-volume set titled Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, first published in 1843. This set complemented his earlier work, Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan, which had been very well received in Europe, as well as in the United States. Catherwood’s meticulous illustrations of the ruined cities, the stelae, and the mysterious glyphs were the revelation that brought the ancient Maya to the attention of the outside world. The buildings in those drawings were clearly the product of an advanced civilization, previously unknown, yet possessed of artistic sensibilities and architectural expertise on a level with that of the ancient Greeks. The implications were staggering, and the source of much spirited debate among the intelligentsia of the mid-19th century.

Famed archaeologist and Maya expert Sylvanus Morley, the original real-life Indiana Jones, did preliminary excavations at Tulum beginning in 1913. Additional work was funded by the Carnegie Institution from 1916 until 1922, followed by a series of investigations in every decade through the 1970’s. When the developers who created Cancun opened for business in 1974, the surrounding area saw a flurry of growth that turned the archaeological site of Tulum into a bonafide tourist attraction. With the further development of the Riviera Maya, Tulum, the charming beach town adjacent to the ruins became a destination in its own right.

When you see a Mayan city in person, you can’t help but wonder what happened to the people who built it. The Mayan civilization was wondrously complex, and it flourished in this region for two thousand years. How is it possible for something like that to just disappear? Answer: it didn’t. At least, not all at once. The large inland cities were abandoned, largely by attrition, when an extended drought in the region caused crop failures that led to mass starvation. Tulum, and most of the smaller Mayan communities that were still occupied when the Spaniards arrived were exposed to the diseases brought from Europe; they had no natural resistance, so, once again, many of the people died. The survivors spread out through the area, eking out a meager existence as simple subsistance farmers, living in scattered hamlets and homesteads. Their numbers were greatly reduced, but the people were still there, speaking the same language, following the same essential traditions. What disappeared was all the high drama, the pomp and the grandeur, the art, the architecture, the priesthood and the pampered nobility. The people had no further need for any of that, and as for the old stone cities? They just walked away, and let the jungle swallow them up.

VISITING TULUM

A TIP FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS

If you’re passionate about photography, and if your schedule allows, I highly recommend that you follow my lead: plan to stay the night in Tulum, and spread your visit to the ruins across two days. On your first day, you should look at everything. Use a map to memorize the layout of the ruins, and you should be able to take some decent pictures, despite the crowds, by carefully choosing your angles and using a good zoom lens. The park closes at 5:00, still too early for sunset photos, but the late afternoon light isn’t half bad.

The second day, skip breakfast if you have to, because you’ll want to return to the park at 8:00 AM sharp, just as it opens for the day. Most of the tour groups don’t start arriving until 9:00 or so, which gives you an hour to take your pictures, free of the usual crowds. You’ve already familiarized yourself with the layout, so you’ll know exactly where to go for the best vantage points, and you’ll have terrific early morning light.

Maps of Tulum and the surrounding area.

Click for an expanded view of all maps and photos

If you join a tour in Cancun or Playa del Carmen, they supply everything, from transportation to tour guide. The down side to that, they set the schedule, and they make all the decisions. If you’re like me, and that’s not your style, it’s simple enough to get to the ruins on your own. The best way is to rent a car, but there are also buses, colectivo taxis (cabs that take multiple passengers for a set fee per person), as well as private taxis, any of which will take you to the town of Tulum from anywhere along the Riviera Maya. The ruins are just 2.5 miles from the town center; close enough to walk, but there are shuttle services available throughout the day.

A Mayan arch creates a passageway through the wall that surrounds the ancient city, one of five entry points 

The structure best known as the Castillo, the Castle, is a squat truncated pyramid, with a squarish temple on the top and a broad, rather steep staircase climbing the front side. At 25 feet in height, it’s the tallest building in Tulum, the first thing you see when you enter the complex of ruins; an impressive bit of Peten style architecture that dominates the scene.

The Castillo is a Late Post Classic pyramid that’s reminiscent of the buildings at Mayapan and Chichen Itzá, with a very definite Toltec influence. When in use, this combination temple, shrine and lighthouse would have been coated smooth with stucco, painted, and adorned with molded masks and other artwork. The world’s second longest coral reef runs parallel to the east coast of the Yucatan, just under the surface of the sea. It has presented a hazard to shipping since the days of the Maya, but there’s a natural break in the reef, just offshore from the cliffs of Tulum. The sea-facing wall that buttresses the back side of the Castillo was painted bright red, and served as a beacon, guiding boats through the break to the staging area for the port, on the beach below the cliff. The windows in the back wall of the crowning temple would have glowed like a pair of eyes from the signal fires within, for the benefit of boats arriving after dark.

Tulum is the only Mayan city of any size located on a Caribbean beach, which further emphasizes its importance as a port and trading center. Canoes laden with luxury goods came around the Yucatan peninsula from trading centers along the Gulf of Mexico, while others followed the coastline north from as far away as Honduras, possibly even farther. The bright red Castillo, perched atop its cliff, would have been a welcome sight for the weary paddlers in their heavy canoes, a chance to unload and claim their reward, and to rest, before moving on again.

TEMPLE OF THE WIND

After the Castillo, the next most famous structure at Tulum is a relatively small building known as the Temple of the Wind. It’s not the least bit impressive from an architectural standpoint: a square shrine, with a cement roof and a single door, built atop small stone platform . What makes this one special is location, location, and location! Perched on a rocky outcropping that juts out into the sea, this is another structure that’s visible from the water for a considerable distance. Perfectly situated to catch the offshore breeze, it’s an ideal spot to put a shrine dedicated to the wind god.

Three views of the Temple of the Wind, a Mayan shrine on the azure shores of the Caribbean Sea

THE PALACE (HOUSE OF THE COLUMNS)

There are several large buildings in the plaza at the foot of the Castillo. The Palacio, the Palace, sometimes referred to as the House of the Columns, was a four room structure that was used as a residence by the city’s elite. Numerous columns supported the beam and mortar roof, which long since deteriorated to the point of collapse. Some of the original stucco with traces of red pigment can still be seen on the wall at the rear of the building.

The Palace, also known as the House of the Columns

Two views of the House of the Cenote

TEMPLE OF THE FRESCOES

Another impressive structure is the two story building known as the Temple of the Frescoes, named for the painted murals that once covered the interior walls. The murals have deteriorated significantly over the years, so visitors are no longer allowed inside the structure to view them. The moisture in our breath, especially when concentrated in a confined space, causes irreversible damage to these rare and precious paintings. Brightly colored murals once graced nearly every interior wall in the Mayan cities, but few have survived the ravages of time. 

THE HOUSE OF THE HALACH UINIC

The Descending God is thought to be associated with the planet Venus, as well as with Ah Muu Zen Caab, the Mayan God of the Bees. Honey produced by bees was a mainstay of the trade that supported the noble houses of Tulum; it was used throughout the Yucatan as a sweetener, an antibiotic, and in a fermented drink called balché, similar to mead. Images of the odd god with his legs in the air are also found in the Mayan cities of Coba, Sayil, and Chichen Itzá, three of Tulum’s most important trading partners. The Mayan Cities were independent entities, but there were many connections between them that we’re only just beginning to understand.

At several different locations, in Tulum, as well as in other Mayan communities along the east coast of the Yucatan, there are small structures that are like scale models of temples, complete with doorways and interior spaces. It’s assumed that these were used as repositories for offerings.

Tulum was protected by cliffs on the eastern, seaward side, and by a wall that surrounded the other three sides of the twenty acre ceremonial enclave. The wall is thought to have served a dual purpose. It was there to keep out invaders, and it was also a physical boundary between the elite priests and nobels and the common people. The massive barrier was a monumental construction in it’s own right. Built entirely of stone, it ranged from 10 to 16 feet in height, and it was as much as 26 feet thick, following the contours of the land for a total distance of 1300 feet, with the longest section, on the western side, running parallel to the sea. 

THE ELITE ENCLAVE, INSIDE THE WALL

Most of the residents of Tulum lived outside the wall in simple dwellings built of wood and thatch, materials that have not survived the passage of time. There are archaeological remains, plenty of stuff still buried for the scientists to sift through, but there’s nothing above ground for the rest of us to see, because the monumental construction was confined to the area inside the wall. 

SIGNS

The Mexican government’s Council for Culture and the Arts (Conaculta) has provided illustrated signage in both Spanish and English at various locations around the ruins. Some of them identify the buildings, while others provide interesting information about Mayan history and culture. Click the thumbnails to expand the images:

Geomorphological Viewpoint

Mural Painting

Every Mayan ruin that we stopped at, from the  crowded sites like Chichen Itzá and Tulum to the less visited sites like Edzná, they all had one thing in common: they’re crawling with Iguanas! Mexican Spiny Tailed Iguanas, Black Spiny Tailed Iguanas, and Yucatan Spiny Tailed Iguanas, just to name a few. When the Mayans moved out, the Iguanas moved in, and they’ve made themselves very much at home among the ruins. 

Tulum is a fantastic place to visit, in spite of the usual crowds. We can only imagine what it would have been like when it was still in use, with all the sights, sounds, and smells of a living city teeming with people, with the kings and nobles in their palaces, and the priests in their temples. What a different world that was, and not so very long ago.

Note: This is a revised and expanded version of a previous post that was titled: Tulum: The Mayan City by the Sea

Unless otherwise noted, all of these photographs are my original work, and are protected by copyright. They may not be duplicated for commercial purposes.

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IN THE LAND OF THE MAYA

ON THE ROAD IN MEXICO

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(This post is a work in progress. Anticipated publication: April 2024)

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