IMAGE – TULUM

Now we headed to the coast – about ½ hour drive east to the coast from Cobá to Tulum. From my research I especially wanted to visit Tulum as it is considered to be one of the most beautiful Mayan archaeological sites, and its waterfront location serves as a striking backdrop to its history.
The only Mayan archaeological site to be in use at the time of the Spanish conquest, ‘Tulum’ means ‘wall’. The sites original Mayan name was Zama or ‘Dawn’ – watching a sunrise here you can realize why. This beautiful site sits on 15-meter high cliffs above the Caribbean Sea. Primarily in use from the 1200’s to around 1450, it was the major commercial port for Cobá and other cities in the interior, and abandoned by the 16th century,
Tulum was surrounded on three sides by a manmade rock wall, which was for defense, and protected on the eastern side by the sea. The chief structure of Tulum, El Castillo (The Castle) sits on the highest point of the site, facing the ocean. Reefs just off the coast made entry into Tulum difficult, and our guide explained that the purposes of El Castillo was to act as a lighthouse and guidance system for boats through the reef. Tulum is a much smaller sight than Cobá and we had an hour to explore around these stunning oceanfront ruins. The white sandy beach below looked very inviting indeed – with many people enjoying a swim in the surf and exploring the offshore reef in small tour boats – but sadly we didn’t have time to do everything.
One of the most striking buildings was the Templo del Dios Viento (Temple of the Wind). The various Mayan gods adored on this site are linked to rain, lightning, and water.
At 5pm our group was due to meet for our return to Cancun via Playa del Carmen – now the regions 3rd largest city. Unfortunately we were kept waiting for 20mins for 2 young ladies – whom we finally left behind!
When we arrived to the outskirts of Playa del Carmen the streets were very busy with lots of backed-up traffic – we were to discover this was due to a Carnival parade through the street – and therefore many access roads were closed. We got the feeling that our guide and driver were by now fed-up with the previous ‘no show’delay and now this traffic-jam, and the guide announced that we were heading back to Cancun, with no apology for further comment! So sadly no opportunity to see this large seaside town which is the gateway to the offshore island of Cozumel.
Our long, but very enjoyable and informative day ended with us catching the 8pm return ferry to Isla and home to La Aventura.