TULUM
Picture an original American culture that flourished during a time when
Paris was just a small village, and lasted six times longer than the Great
Roman Empire. Arriving in southern Mexico and Northern Central America
over 3,000 years ago, the Maya created one of the most brilliant
civilizations the world has ever known. Their very name evokes images of a
glorious past. It is highlighted with the construction of great cities,
splendid art forms and advances in mathematics and astronomy. They charted
the tropical night sky and devised a series of complex calendrical systems
that are every bit as accurate as our own calendar system! With their
elaborate hieroglyphic writing system, the Mayas dated and recorded a
history carved in stone.
As the Mayas flourished, they inherited ideas from the earlier Olmecs
(Pacific Coast), borrowed others from contemporary Teotihuacan (Central
Mexico) and added many of their own ideas. Nearly everyone who has the
slightest knowledge of the ancient Maya is totally impressed with the
accomplishments of this great civilization.
Towering majestically over Caribbean waters from atop a rocky cliff,
the ancient Maya site of Tulum is the only walled grouping of an
archeological site situated directly on the sea. It’s the largest ancient
construction still standing along the coast of the Riviera Maya. In Mayan
times, it functioned as a small but very important port town, a center of
commerce and a place of pilgrimage. Its name means “wall” or
“fortification,” and by extension “fortress.” Its ancient name was
probably Zama, Maya for “City of Dawn.”
As an explorer at Tulum, you’ll delight in the splendor of the main
temple (El Castillo—the castle), perched high on a bluff overlooking the
turquoise Caribbean Sea. The entire setting is one of the most delightful
sights in the Maya world. Of the 60 structures contained within this
archeological site, El Castillo is the most obvious and dominant, with its
commanding and breathtaking view of the coastline. It also functioned as a
navigational aid, directing Maya canoes through the break in the offshore
reef to the beach.
The Tulum Castillo and other smaller temples and colonnaded palaces are
all enclosed within a protective wall. Sections of painted murals in the
interiors of some buildings, as well as the architecture, reflect the
“East Coast” Mayan style, complete with Mexican (Toltec/Aztec) influences.
Upon the cornices of some buildings, stucco sculptures of the Descending
God are carved, a common motif of Late Post Classic Yucatan that also
appears at the site of Coba, a 30-minute drive northwest of Tulum. This
deity may represent the Maya maize god, Venus, or, as most locals believe,
the god of the honeybee, although his true identity isn’t clear.
Although a stela (upright stone slab with carved images and
inscriptions on it) was discovered at Tulum and was dated to the year 564
A.D., most scholars feel that it was moved there from another
site—probably Tankah or Coba, and since the wall around Tulum dates to
1200-1450 A.D. and all the buildings are Post Classic in style, it most
likely isn’t as old as that stela would indicate and actually is a Post
Classic site.
Another notable feature at Tulum is the mural paintings, especially in
the Temple of the Frescoes (Structure 16). They have striking similarities
to the Mixtec codices from the Mexican highlands, although the themes are
clearly Mayan.
This most important Mayan archeological site on the coast is a must-see
due to the beauty of its location as well as its size and impressive
structures.
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