Trifter

Want to find a nice, quiet beach in Mexico and learn a little history while you are there?  Tulum, Mexico may be the place for you!

Image property of Taffy

Only 80 miles from Cancun, the Tulum ruins tell the story of the Mayan people. The Mayans occupied the area until the Spanish conquest of the Yucatan peninsula.  Tulum was strategically built on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea and is surrounded by a stone wall. Everyday life in Tulum seemed to be intertwined with religious rituals, astronomy, and politics. The city was dedicated to the planet Venus. The buildings architecture are full of masks and murals.

Some of the buildings include:

Temple of the Frescoes: Inside the temple the walls boast a mural honoring the ‘Divine God’.  The outside shows stucco masks.

Castillo:  This is the largest building in Tulum. It was a temple as well as a fortress. The top of the building also served as a guide for boats. There was only one entrance through the reef into the harbor.

Temple of the Winds: This building is north of Castillo. It may serve as a warning system for hurricanes.  Legends say the temple whistles when a hurricane is approaching. 

The Mayan ruins of Tulum are said to be the best preserved Mayan ruins in the world and the third most visited historical site in all of Mexico so it gets very busy! Go in the morning if you can. Tulum can be easily covered in an hour.

After wards, go down to the beach and cool off!  And don’t forget to look for iguanas! They are everywhere and fun to find.

It’s easy to get a bus to the ruin entrance.  There is a parking fee.

The visitors center has shops and restaurants and you can walk 15 minutes to the entrance or pay to take the shuttle round trip.

Entrance is free on Sundays.

There are guides who can tell you all the history and it is very interesting. There are signs in English and Spanish that give a brief description of the buildings.

Image via Wikipedia