By the end of the 16th century, the clifftop city of Tulum stood empty. Once a bustling trading port at the convergence of coastal and land routes, the Mayan city which had been home to over a thousand people was eerily silent, with nobody walking the paths between the buildings, visiting the temples or watching the sea.
One of history’s great mysteries is the disappearance of the Mayan people, and this puzzle is yours to investigate at Tulum. The tantalising archaeological remains are surrounded by a high wall and trench, “Tulum” in Mayan, which gave the city its name. Thought to date to the 13th century, the walls protect an ancient town of iconic Mayan architecture. Steep steps and narrow windows, temples, altars and carvings, all overlooking the bluest Caribbean Sea.
Tulum is the only Mayan city built on the coast, and it is believed to have been an important port for trading precious goods like sharp volcanic obsidian, jade and turquoise as blue as the sea. The sheltered cove nestled in the cliffs beneath the ruins would have been the perfect place for canoes to bring their wares safely to shore.
The city reached its peak of activity between the 13th and 15th centuries, resisting Spanish invasions more successfully than any other Mayan settlement. The fortune of the city eventually waned until, one day, it was abandoned. Today, the ruins are one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico.
The most impressive building is undoubtedly El Castillo (the castle). Its square tower dominating the entire area, it stands 7.5 metres tall at Tulum’s centre. Carved serpents mark the building’s lintels, and its shrine once acted as a beacon to guide canoes through a break in the reef and safely into the cove below.
After a morning exploring the cluster of buildings here, a trip to the small, modern town of Tulum Pueblo, just 3 kilometres away, will provide all the superb restaurants and tourist facilities you could need. Mayan Tulum might have been abandoned, but there’s life here yet.
