Tulum and the amazing Mayans…

Like Mexico it’s the Mayans and the remains of this remarkable civilization on the Yucatán peninsula. Why probably all associate the famous pyramid at Chichén Itzá – one of the new wonders of the world. We started our exploration of this civilization from a lesser-known place – Tulum, which is only a few dozen kilometers away from our hotel.

We spent a week in Mexico. It was enough to relax and see a few more or less famous places, but not enough to enjoy every attraction in the area. We flew to Cancun and decided to stay on the Yucatan peninsula. It abounds with so many historical sites, outdoor attractions, amusement parks, and cruise opportunities to nearby islands that you could easily spend two weeks having something different to see and experience every day.

We put Mexico on the list of countries where we chose not to rent a car. We have no reluctance to drive on new and unfamiliar routes, we have no problem getting along and renting a car locally, and yet something caused us to finally back out of our original plan to travel by car. The key word here is SAFETY. In general, driving in Mexico is safe, as long as you don’t encounter any unpleasant surprises. We have read several stories and warnings that we, as tourists, will be the ones judged for misconduct or causing an accident. Just like that, out of principle.

So exceptionally, we did not book a car in advance, but decided to see on the spot what the prices of tours and car rental would be. One thing was certain – although the hotel was sensational we did not intend to spend the whole week in the hotel.

We spent a long time thinking about what to do and where to go. On the one hand, we were very, very tempted by the archaeological sites with the aforementioned famous new wonder of the world at the forefront, but on the other hand, we knew that a full-day trip with a baby could be an ordeal for both us and Olive. There are also several parks in the area like Xel-Ha Park and Xcaret Park, which seem like fantastic options when it comes to communing with nature or getting a little adrenaline. Here, too, we had doubts about whether it was definitely a suitable attraction for an under-two-year-old, because for adults the fun is certainly ahead.

So we looked around at offers from travel agencies and local carriers. We talked to a few people we met at the hotel, did some reading and decided to go for the archaeological option after all. We chose the hotel offer because it was the best value for money. We took Tulum as our first choice. It was the closest to us there, the trip was planned for only half a day, so it was ideal to see how the bus ride would go, and then explore the ruins of the city.

Cost of the tour – $35/person. Valuable note – in some places the same tour cost as much as $100/person, so it is worth to discern the prices in order not to overpay.

Drive to Tulum

We took off at 7:40 am from the hotel. Despite the fact that we were quite close to Tulum, only about 20 kilometers from our hotel, we were not there until about 9 o’clock (we were picking up passengers from other hotels on the way). The tour was short but enjoyable, as we had a guide on board who talked about Mayan history and culture in English and Spanish.

When we arrived and got off the bus, the first souvenir stores, stalls, bars and restaurants (including well-known American chain stores) appeared before our eyes. For the time being, most were lazily waking up to life and preparing for the next invasion of tourists. The plus side was that we were one of the first tours on site. When we returned here after visiting the archaeological park, the place was bustling with activity, it was noisy, bustling, every now and then there were people standing around in fancy, somewhat scary costumes and various performances and shows taking place.

From there we still had a short walk (about 600 meters) to the entrance to the archaeological section. We covered this route without any problems, although on the way back we were accompanied by a rather strong sun and high temperature. For those who appreciate convenience there are buses – trucks that can transport tourists for a small fee – that run on this section.

Tulum Sightseeing

Once our group passed through the gates we split into two subgroups – Spanish and English. It was a time when the sun was already rising higher and higher and one could hardly find shade. Wherever one managed to find at least a patch of it, smaller or larger groups of visitors stood. The worst in this regard is around the main ruins, as there are far more groups of these than tall trees. Fortunately, there is even a wooded path in the park, not far from these “top” spots, which is perfect for hiding from the sun.

The guided portion of the tour lasted about 40 minutes, and despite the best intentions and charisma of the tour guide, it was an ordeal, mainly because of just the weather. It was getting hotter, more crowded and louder by the minute. We tried to hear as much as possible from the interesting facts that the guide told, but often searching and hiding in the shadows took over (plus running after Olive, of course ;-)). In the end, we tried to at least take turns staying with the group to pull out as much as possible.

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We walked around the ruins of the various buildings both along marked paths and simply on the grass (this is allowed, but it is forbidden to enter the buildings). The distances between them are not great, but we still didn’t reach every ruin in the Tulum area in those 40 minutes.

At the end, free time was scheduled at the archaeological park. We used it to go down to the recommended beach and take a refreshing swim in the Caribbean Sea. Unfortunately, the beach was like a frying pan, and on top of that it was full of seaweed, which also drifted in the water and effectively discouraged people from entering the sea. Although beautifully located, with El Castillo towering over the beach, we didn’t get to see it in the best conditions.

These extraordinary Mayan…

However, let’s not forget that this is not why you go to Tulum to wallow in the sea. There are many remnants of buildings that deserve much more attention than the beach.

We are glad that we could be there with a guide, because he pointed out to us many interesting elements, told us the history, introduced us to the Mayan culture, presented various photos and graphics that act on the imagination. Something we would have passed by indifferently turns out to have played a huge role in culture, commerce or science. Despite the fact that the facilities are described and we can find information placards in the park, however, we recognized the superiority of the guide. He pointed out various elements on the buildings: paintings, bas-reliefs, such as a multi-fingered hand, or a mask, which we wouldn’t normally notice.

The city’s origins probably date back to the 4th century. A.D., which in pre-Columbian times was called Zama. By the way, this was the first Mayan city the Spaniards came across during their colonization. The area was surrounded on three sides by a 6-meter-thick wall with two guard towers. On the fourth side, the city was guarded by 12-meter high cliffs.

In its heyday, thousands of people lived here, and the distance from the walls was an indication of status (of course, many people lived outside the city walls). The most important buildings are the seats of dignitaries, palaces, temples, etc. Surprisingly, the people living here were taller than the average inhabitants of the peninsula. We also learned about the rather horrific practice of disfiguring heads – it was common to lengthen or widen skulls.

However, let’s focus on Mayan achievements. You can read a lot about the Maya’s incredible knowledge of astronomy, but it’s only when you go in and see with your own eyes how detailed calculations were made during the construction of the buildings that you gain even more respect for this civilization. Their observations of the sky must have taken many, many years to arrive at conclusions that were later used in the design of buildings, not just in Tulum.

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One such example is showing where specifically the sun’s rays are directed on the day of the vernal equinox, through a particular isthmus in the Temple of the Descending God (Templo del Dios Descendente). At the top of the structure is depicted a god pointing with his head down – it is almost through him that the sun’s rays mentioned above fall. There are several theories as to the representation of the god in this way and not in another. One says it symbolizes the setting sun, while another says it symbolizes a diving man.

At the second tallest structure in the park, the Watchtower (El Castillo), the sun’s rays fall through the isthmus on the day of the autumnal equinox and illuminate another specific point in the city. El Castillo was also a beacon for sailors to inform them that they were about to return home.

In addition to the most famous and impressive structure, El Castillo, there are numerous other ruins in the Tulum area. Among the most important are: Temple of Frescoes (Templo de los Frescos), House of Columns (Casa de las Columnas), Cenote House (Casa del Cenote) or Palace (El Palacio).

Is it worth visiting Tulum?

It was an extremely educational trip. We learned many interesting things about Mexico, Mayan culture and history. Despite the incredible heat managed to survive and not burn to cancer. After returning to the hotel, we made a decision: we are not going back to Poland without seeing Chichén Itzá live! :)

We also invite you to visit our gallery from Tulum:

Zobacz galerię wszystkich zdjęć z Tulum >>>

…and a video version of this photo essay:)