The Temple of the Descending God at Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
The prospect of climbing the Mayan ruins at Tulum greatly interested me. After all, I’ve never seen New World ruins before…
While I’ve heard that Chichen Itza is considered by many to be the king of Mayan ruins, the site at Tulum must certainly be the queen. Situated on a tall cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea (in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico), Tulum was one of the last Maya inhabited cities, 70 years past Spanish occupation—though the golden era for this fortified port city was between the 13th and 15th Century. Tulum faces east toward the rising sun and was also known as Zama meaning City of Dawn.
Pyramid el Castillo at Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
The pre-Columbian culture of the Maya spread across southeastern Mexico, all of Guatemala and Belize, and into Honduras and El Salvador. The Mayan empire was known for its fully developed writing system as well as for art, architecture, mathematics, and astronomical systems. It is also a fact that the Mayans practiced human sacrifice for religious and medical reasons.
While visiting Mexico last week the prospect of climbing the ruins became reality. Todd Creger, a Houstonian living in Playa del Carmen made the jaunt to Tulum with me.
Where the ancient Mesoamericans established a fortified city of trade, so too have the modern Mesoamericans. The ruins at Tulum is quite the tourism destination. Once the car is parked the visitor discovers what Todd called the Hat District. It is impossible to access the ruins without first weaving through a packed marketplace of shops, souvenirs, food, and Mayan dancers. As Todd said, “It’s their job to separate tourists from their pesos!” But of course, as my bald spot was already scorched from beaching it prior days I gladly shelled out a few hundred pesos in the hat district.
Entry into and out of the walls of the fortified city are the same gateways used for centuries. And what is striking about the portals is the size. The doorways are extremely narrow and the arches very low. The Maya must have been tiny.
Once in the complex one is first impressed by the site, the high bluff overlooking the ocean. And walkways filled with hundreds of tourists meander through the archeological masterpiece. Some of the ruins seemed like a pile of rocks while others were breathtaking in their size, design, and position on the cliffs.
The Great Palace at Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
There are three noteworthy structures: El Castillo is the stepped pyramid at center, the Temple of the Descending God, and the palace—all of which I am including photographs. And of course, all ruins are covered with sunning iguanas!
Below the Pyramid El Castillo is a steep staircase leading down to the beach—the beach at Tulum is protected for nesting sea turtles but there were a myriad of tourists floundering in the surf.
While watching the other tourists we were surprised by the number of visitors in wheelchairs. Umm, this is a 2,000 year old pile of rocks on a cliff at the beach. Wheelchair ramps are not like the USA; they looked more like something you would see Short Round whizzing down yelling, “Indie, help!”
In actuality, even with two good legs, it wasn’t so easy for me to get around. I had a major shoe malfunction halfway through the hike. The Nike summer shoes that I packed for just such an adventure broke at the very top of the cliff. I never liked the looks of those shoes but they serve a specific purpose–and any shoes are better than no shoes! And I’m far too big of a snob to be hobbling around a foreign country in broken shoes.
Pyramid El Castillo at Tulum, Quintana Roo, Mexico
Todd encouraged me to sit and sketch a ruin but with hundreds of tours filing by and the sun beating down on me I thought better of it. By the time we had finished our survey of the area I felt like I had ingested some of the ruins. I was sweating like a whore in church and felt like I had a mouth full of dirt!
Of course I always recommend this kind of cultural activity. Make sure to have hat, water, and very good shoes.
On the way back to Playacar we found a little beach restaurant called La Buena Vida in Akumal. La Buena Vida is on Half Moon Bay, has palapa roofs, tree houses, hammocks, and a pool. The breeze off the bay was cool and the beer was ice cold—it was a great way to dust off and cool down from our visit to the Mayan ruins at Tulum.