By Dane Steele Green
Tulum was built in a twilight. The Mayan city rose just as the whole culture was about to take a one-way trip to one-way trip to Total Collapse-ville. I bring this up because, in what must have been a bitter irony, the ancient name of the now ruined town was Zama, the City of Dawn.
About two hours south of Cancun, Tulum is arguably the most high-profile Mayan ruin on the eastern Yucatan coast. That means it is the most visited. THAT means it is also the most…“touristy.” But don’t let that stop you from going. Rather, it just takes some judicious logistics to get a better experience and photo ops.
This being the Riviera Maya, and how many vacationers who are also die-hard early-risers can there possibly be? If you can plan it right (that is, get up at the crack of dawn when everybody else is asleep), and get to Tulum just as the site opens, around 9 AM, you can have the entire ruin to yourself for about 30 minutes before the tour buses start arriving in all their thousands.
And it’s so worth it.
A late-comer to the Mayan scene, Tulum managed to stick it out right up until the Spanish showed up in 1518 (not that they were much of a help), so unlike its sister cities, there was less time for to become “ruined.” Consequently, Tulum is remarkably intact and a real window into the final days of what a Postclassic Mayan city looked like. Enclosed by a wall, it is also really compact. You can sweep through the whole thing before the hordes show up.
The showpiece is El Castillo, and you can’t miss it, it’s the biggest, highest temple on the grounds and looks a little like a flat-topped pyramid with boxy sanctuary on top. It is, however, just one of a entire religious complex. The entire city seems to be the nerve center for the cult of the Diving God, a mysterious figure found all over Tulum and depicted as an upside-down man, although Chaac, the Rain God, and Ixchel, the Moon Goddess, also make appearances.
It’s prominence means Tulum is easy to get to/find, and just about every hotel will have a tour or know someone that does. All you have to do is reconcile the idea of getting up early while on vacation. Contact Steele Luxury Travel for all of your travel needs to Tulum and the Mayan Riviera! [email protected]