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Tulum
Tulum (sometimes rendered as Tuluum) is a Pre-Columbian walled city of the Maya civilization located on the Caribbean Sea coast of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. There is also a modern town of the same name nearby, often called Tulum Pueblo.
The Maya site may have been formerly also known by the name Zama, or the City of Dawn.
While an inscription dated 564 has been found at the site, most of the structures now visible were built in the Post-Classic Era, between about 1200 and 1450. The city remained occupied through the early years of the Spanish conquest of Yucatán, but was abandoned in by the end of the 16th century. Local Maya continued to visit the temples to burn incense and pray until the late 20th century, when tourists visiting the site became too numerous.
A number of the buildings sport fresco murals on the interior (small remaining traces of paint suggest that the exterior of some buildings may have been similarly decorated). The murals show Oaxacan Mixtec influence.
The first detailed description of the ruins was published by John Lloyd Stephens and Frederick Catherwood in 1843. The site is of moderate size, with construction of modest sized buildings.
The 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 (the so-called "Mexican Riviera", surrounding Cancún) has made it a popular destination for tourists. 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 120 km south of the popular beach resort of Cancún.
The tourist destination is now divided into three main areas: the archaeological site, the pueblo or town, and the hotel zone.
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Explore Your Dreams:
Tulum, lithograph published by
Frederick Catherwood in 1844
Tulum Pueblo
Several years ago, Tulum Pueblo was a quiet village 2 km from the archaeological site, and tourism outside of the ruins was limited to a few small shops and simple cabanas on the beach. As of 2005 population of Tulum Pueblo has grown to over 10,000 permanent inhabitants.
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