Please Visit Wikipedia for Tulum Information and Nearby locations.
Tulum (Yucatec: Tulu'um) is the site of a Pre-Columbian Maya walled city serving as a major port for Cobá.[1] The ruins are situated on 12-meter (39 ft) tall cliffs, along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico.[1]
Tulum was one of the last cities inhabited and built by the Mayans; it
was at its height between the 13th and 15th centuries and managed to
survive about 70 years after the Spanish began occupying Mexico. Old
World diseases brought by the Spanish settlers appear to have been the
cause of its demise. One of the best-preserved coastal Maya sites, Tulum
is today a popular site for tourists.[1]
Tulum has architecture typical of Maya sites on the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula.
This architecture is recognized by a step running around the base of
the building which sits on a low substructure. Doorways of this type are
usually narrow with columns used as support if the building is big
enough. As the walls flare out there are usually two sets of molding
near the top. The room usually contains one or two small windows with an
altar at the back wall, roofed by either a beam-and-rubble ceiling or
being vaulted.[3] This type of architecture resembles what can be found in the nearby Chichen Itza, just on a much smaller scale.[2]
Tulum was protected on one side by steep sea cliffs and on the
landward side by a wall that averaged about three to 5 meters (16 ft) in
height. The wall also was about 8 m (26 ft) thick and 400 m (1,300 ft)
long on the side parallel to the sea. The part of the wall that ran the
width of the site was slightly shorter and only about 170 meters
(560 ft) on both sides. Constructing this massive wall would have taken
an enormous amount of energy and time, which shows how important defense
was to the Maya when they chose this site. On the southwest and
northwest corners there are small structures that have been identified
as watch towers, showing again how well defended the city was. There are
five narrow gateways in the wall with two each on the north and south
sides and one on the west. Near the northern side of the wall a small cenote
provided the city with fresh water. It is this impressive wall that
makes Tulum one the most well-known fortified sites of the Maya.[4]
There are three major structures of interest at the Tulum site. El
Castillo, the Temple of the Frescoes, and the Temple of the Descending
God are the three most famous buildings. Among the more spectacular
buildings here is the Temple of the Frescoes that included a lower
gallery and a smaller second story gallery. The Temple of the Frescoes
was used as an observatory for tracking the movements of the sun. Niched
figurines of the Maya “diving god” or Venus deity decorate the facade
of the temple. This “diving god” is also depicted in the Temple of the
Diving God in the central precinct of the site. Above the entrance in
the western wall a stucco figure of the “diving god” is still preserved,
giving the temple its name. A mural can still be seen on the eastern
wall that resembles that of a style that originated in highland Mexico,
called the Mixteca-Puebla style, though visitors are no longer permitted
to enter.
Also in the central precinct is the Castillo, which is 7.5 m (25 ft)
tall. The Castillo was built on a previous building that was colonnaded
and had a beam and mortar roof. The lintels in the upper rooms have
serpent motifs carved into them. The construction of the Castillo
appears to have taken place in stages. A small shrine appears to have
been used as a beacon for incoming canoes. This shrine marks a break in
the barrier reef that is opposite the site. Here there is a cove and
landing beach in a break in the sea cliffs that would have been perfect
for trading canoes coming in. This characteristic of the site may be one
of the reasons the Maya founded the city of Tulum exactly here, as
Tulum later became a prominent trading port during the late Postclassic period.
Both coastal and land routes converged at Tulum which is apparent by
the number of artifacts found in or near the site that show contacts
with areas all over Central Mexico and Central America. Copper artifacts
from the Mexican highlands have been found near the site, as have flint
artifacts, ceramics, incense burners, and gold objects from all over
the Yucatán.
Salt and textiles were among some of the goods brought to Tulum by sea
that would then be dispersed inland. Typical exported goods included
feathers and copper objects that came from inland sources. These goods
could be transported by sea to rivers such as the Río Motagua
and the Río Usumacincta/Pasión system that could be taken inland giving
seafaring canoes access to both the highlands and the lowlands.
The Río Motagua
starts from the highlands of Guatemala and empties into the Caribbean
while the Río Pasión/Ucamacincta river system also originates in the
Guatemalan highlands and empties into the Gulf of Mexico. It may have
been one of these seafaring canoes that Christopher Columbus first
encountered off the shores of the Bay Islands of Honduras.[5] Jade and obsidian appear to be some of the more prestigious materials found here as the obsidian would have had to have traveled clear from Ixtepeque
in northern Guatemala which was nearly 700 kilometers (430 mi) away
from Tulum. This huge distance coupled with the density of obsidian
found at the site show that Tulum was a major center for the trading of
obsidian.
The Tulum archaeological site is relatively compact compared with
many other Maya sites in the vicinity, and is one of the best-preserved
coastal Maya sites. Its proximity to the modern tourism developments
along the Mexican Caribbean coastline and its short distance from Cancún and the surrounding "Riviera Maya"
has made it a popular Maya tourist site in the Yucatan. Daily tour
buses bring a constant stream of visitors to the site. The Tulum ruins
are the third most-visited archaeological site in Mexico, after Teotihuacan and Chichen Itza.
It is popular for the picturesque view of the Caribbean and a location
just 128 km (80 mi) south of the popular beach resort of Cancún.
A large number of cenotes
are located in the Tulum area such as Maya Blue, Naharon, Temple of
Doom, Tortuga, Vacaha, Grand Cenote, Abejas, Nohoch Kiin and Carwash
cenotes and cave systems.
The tourist destination is now divided into four main areas: the archaeological site, the pueblo (or town), the zona hotelera (or hotel zone) and the biosphere reserve of Sian Ka'an.
In 1995, tourism came to a brief halt as the powerful Hurricane Roxanne pounded into Tulum, packing 115 mph winds. Damage was moderate.
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