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The city of Tulum, which was in ancient times a settlement of the Mayan Indians, appears.

History of Tulum

By the end of the first millennium AD, the Mayan civilization began to decline, and many cities were abandoned. Tulum remained a major trading center and seaport until the 13th century. After the conquest by the conquistadors, the city existed for almost another century, then was virtually abandoned until the 20th century. Currently, Tulum is a convenient city with developed infrastructure and a modern resort business. Recently, there has been an active development and sale of real estate here.

in Tulum

Tulum is located in a truly fertile place - in the east of the tropical Yucatan Peninsula on the shores of the Caribbean Sea. The average annual air temperature is + 26 degrees, and temperature indicators throughout the year do not have significant differences: in summer + 30 degrees, in winter + 10 degrees. The most favorable time for a holiday in Tulum is considered to be from November to May.

Beaches of Tulum

In the vicinity of Tulum is the second largest barrier reef on Earth. Its length is 90 meters. Therefore, the famous Mexican beaches are a great place for diving. The Caribbean coast is famous for its snow-white sand and clear turquoise water. Along the resort area there are several dozen small hotels, some of them built in Indian style - they have thatched roofs instead. Part of the coast is located directly on the archaeological territory, which allows you to combine a visit to ancient ruins and a beach holiday.

Sights of Tulum

Tourists visiting the Mexican city have no problem what to see in Tulum. In fact, there are three functional zones in Tulum: beach resort, ancient Tulum and modern city.

Many tourists come to Tulum to see with their own eyes the amazing objects built by ancient civilizations. And there are many of them in the Mexican city!

El Castillo

The architectural ensemble of ancient Tulum lacks the high pyramids that were built during the heyday of civilization. The Castle Pyramid is located on a cliff in the middle of the coastal part of the city. Historians believe that the pyramid was once a lighthouse. This is confirmed by the fact that there was a hole at the top of the structure through which light from candles lit inside the structure could penetrate outside, forming a light path - a safe passage through the reef.

Temple of Frescoes

No less interesting is another iconic building of Tulum - the Temple of Frescoes, dating back to the 15th century. The three levels of the building symbolize the spheres of the Universe - the world of the dead, the Earth and the abode of the gods. The temple's frescoes depict scenes from the life of the Indians, as well as the deeds of the gods worshiped by the Mayans.

Well

Chultun (well) is located in the center of the site of ancient structures. Next to the remains of a stone dwelling, which apparently belonged to a wealthy city dweller, there is a well preserved that previously provided local residents with water, thanks to which this object received its name.

Wall

The word tulúm means fence or wall in Yucatecan. The city is surrounded by a fortress wall 3 to 5 meters high. In some places the width of the structure reaches 8 meters. The defensive structure was erected to protect against nomadic peoples towards the end of the Mayan period.

For an active holiday in Tulum, trips to the jungle on ATVs or jeeps, abseiling, swimming among dolphins and turtles, visiting caves and cenotes are also offered.

How to get to Tulum?

The most convenient way to get to Tulum is by bus from Cancun or Playa del Carmen. It is possible to order a taxi or rent a car.

We have already rented a car () and visited Chichen Itza ().

This article will focus on the archaeological zone (ruins) of the city of Tulum.

In general, the word “Tulum” can mean several concepts:

Resort town
Archaeological area (ancient city or ruins)
Hotel zone

A little history

Tulum differs from other Mayan cities in that it is built on a high cliff on the Caribbean Sea. The ancient name of Tulum is “Sama”, which means “city of the dawn”. Standing on a cliff and looking into the open sea, you understand why it was called that - the view of dawn from the cliff is breathtaking:

The word "tulúm" is translated from the Yucatecan language as "fence" or "wall". A wall 3-5 meters high protected the city from enemy attacks. In some places the walls still remain:

Tulum was first mentioned by conquistador Juan Diaz, who visited it during the expedition of Juan de Grijalva in 1518. The first detailed description of the ruins was published in 1843 by the American traveler John Lloyd Stevens and the Englishman Frederick Catherwood in the book “Moments from a Travel to Yucatan.” The first structure they saw and which greatly impressed them was the El Castillo fortress. They compiled accurate maps of the ancient city and sketched the buildings with photographic precision. In addition, Stevens and Catherwood found a stela dating from the beginning of the classical era, which was marked as 564. Research work continued in early 1913.

The city's heyday came in the 14th-16th centuries, when trade flourished between the modern state of Tabasco and Guatemala. The Mayans exported salt, cotton, and rubber. Tulum was an important link between land and sea trade. The obsidian mined here was found in the northern part of Guatemala - the city of Ishtepeque, located 700 km from Tulum. This enormous distance confirms the importance of Tulum as a major obsidian trading center. Tulum existed until the first contacts with the Spaniards at the beginning of the 16th century, after which it gradually became empty and was abandoned by the end of the 16th century.

Map

At the entrance to the ancient city there is a map with which you can navigate the area and understand what is where (including the descent to the beach):

Tulum is located about 100 km from Cancun, and is a very popular tourist destination, and many tourists are brought here from the famous resort. Unlike most ruins in Mexico, the archaeological site of Tulum is well laid out, with paths and plenty of signage. But the downside of this is that you can’t really climb anywhere - you can only watch from a distance. It took us about 3 hours for leisurely sightseeing.

Visiting time

The territory of the ancient city of Tulum is open to the public from 8:00 to 16:30. The cost of visiting the archaeological zone of Tulum is 70 pesos (foreign currency, i.e. non-Mexican pesos, is not accepted).

Early entry (Lifehack!)

Whoever gets up early, God gives him. With this in mind, we rushed to the ruins of Tulum at dawn (the time difference with Moscow affected, it was not difficult), intending to start our day with a visit to the beach. A big plus of arriving early is ample parking opportunities. We calmly chose a place we liked and went on foot to explore the ruins.

The ticket office was still closed and the ticket machine was not working. How to get inside is unclear. And suddenly a man appeared who very kindly explained that we most likely would not be able to swim, but if we wanted to explore the ruins in splendid isolation, he would be happy to help and could sell us tickets three times more expensive, but right now. We, of course, agreed. It turns out there is such a priority (or early) entry mode, which we later, already at the exit, learned in more detail:

And this pleasure costs some 225 pesos. Three times more expensive than a standard visit! But then there is a minimum (in our case, complete absence) of people and the rising sun. It was worth it! At that moment, Nosha appeared and, as if nothing had happened, escorted us to the cash register.

(Judging by the advertisement, you can take a walk around the ancient city in the evening from 17.00 to 19.00 without huge crowds of tourists).

As if enchanted, we left the money and went to photograph the sights. No heat, no crowds; a full set of iguanas and birds with fancy tails - that's our whole company, how lucky!

El Castillo Temple

The main monument of Tulum is located on top of a picturesque cliff. This is a fortress El Castillo, which served as a sea lighthouse and a temple at the same time. You can’t get inside, but we managed to look at it from the outside from various points of the archaeological complex. In combination with the landscape, in the composition of which the lighthouse temple is inscribed, the picture emerges as truly fantastic.

Fortress El Castillo has a height of 7.5 m. This building marks a break in the barrier reef that runs along the coast. There is also a small cove, a landing beach and a cleft in the cliffs, which made it an ideal mooring place for merchant boats. The need to build a lighthouse in this place is obvious, since a continuous coral reef stretches along the coast with a single “loophole” - just opposite the fortified temple. Only “our own people” knew about the cunning lighthouse, and the enemies suffered many losses: the local waters conceal in the depths many stranded ships. The local aborigines were well versed in the lighthouse signals. During the daytime, sunlight filtered through the windows of the first floor of the fortress temple, and at night lights were lit on the top floor, which, in fact, served as a signal for those “in the know.” El Castillo, like most of the Mayan buildings, was built in cycles of 52 years, i.e. the youngest part of the temple is its top.

After an external inspection of the fortress, we went to the beach.

Beach

On the territory of the archaeological complex there is an excellent beach with snow-white sand and clear blue water, where a wooden staircase leads like this:

Unfortunately, on the morning of our visit there were waves at sea, and the attendant politely asked us not only not to go into the water, but also not to go down to the beach. The descent is blocked by a rope with red flags, but this did not stop tourists from Russia. We are not wolves 🙂 While the guards were walking around the territory, we managed to set foot on the shore of the yet undiscovered land.

And here is the citadel of local rescuers (Oleg performed their functions while I wet my feet in the sea):

After a photo shoot on the beach, we continued to explore the ancient city of Tulum.

Temple of the Frescoes (Templo del los Frescos)

This building is located on the main avenue of the city and is the best preserved of all the temples, both outside and inside. Here you can see beautiful frescoes in the Toltec style:

They were once painted brightly and catchily, but time has not been kind to them, and most of the colored ornaments have simply faded in the sun. There is an assumption that the temple was designed as an observatory: it is oriented to the west, and the column standing in the center is illuminated by the rays of the sun only on the days of the winter and summer solstice.

The three levels of the building symbolize the spheres of the Universe - the world of the dead, the Earth and the abode of the gods. The temple's frescoes depict scenes from the life of the Indians, as well as the deeds of the gods worshiped by the Mayans.

Temple of the God of the Winds (Templo Dios del Viento)

Temple of the Wind God stands on a rock, almost on the very seashore. It (and the turtle beach, which will be discussed below) offers an excellent view from the cliff where the El Castillo Fortress stands:

The Mayans built this building to warn of an impending hurricane. As soon as the wind picked up, the temple, in turn, began to whistle. The fact is that there are special openings in the upper part of the structure, and when air flows pass through them at high speed, a characteristic whistle is heard. This is how the ancient inhabitants of the city learned about natural disasters and managed to take refuge behind the reliable walls of the city from the impending bad weather. The Mayan civilization disappeared from the face of the earth a long time ago, but the ingenious invention is still in use today. The last time the Temple of the Wind God whistled warned residents that Hurricane Roxanne was about to hit the coast!

Turtles in Tulum

Right inside the ancient city of Tulum, between the fortress of El Castillo and the Temple of the God of the Winds, there is an excellent beach, but you cannot go to it - this is the place where every year between June and October two different species of sea turtles come to lay their eggs: the loggerhead turtle turtle and white turtle:

A special sign tells about this:

Finally, the inspection of the archaeological complex was completed, and when we left at 9 am, full of impressions, crowds of tourists were already walking and driving towards us:

The tourist train takes those who are too lazy to walk to Tulum, but we are not too lazy: on the way back we saw a lot of trifles:

At 10 am, when we returned to our car, the parking lots were already full, and we saw a police patrol car next to our Dodge Attitude. It turns out that we left the car in the wrong place! Either the police were having breakfast nearby, or they were waiting for us - we still didn’t understand. A woman in uniform got out of the car and made us understand with gestures that we needed to somehow repark our car. They didn’t give us any fine, we didn’t argue either, and went home for breakfast.

conclusions

We liked the archaeological zone of Tulum. Of course, this is not Palenque or Chichen Itza. But the proximity to the sea, a gorgeous beach, excellent views and its own special atmosphere make the ancient city a place worth visiting.

It’s hard to imagine Mexico without three things: spicy food, beautiful beaches and, of course, the Mayan pyramids. Almost every tourist visiting the Yucatan region strives to get to its pearl - the city of Tulum, because it is here that you can simultaneously find all three components of Mexico!

Tulum has long gained fame among tourists. It is here that the most picturesque archaeological zone is located, in which Mayan pyramids are preserved. Interestingly, Tulum is not just an uninhabited archaeological zone, which is filled with streams of tourists during the day, and by the evening everything dies out. This is a whole city! It is small, with only 25,000 inhabitants. All of them mainly work in the field of tourism.

In Tulum you can find several good cafes that serve local food. Surprisingly, unlike cafes in Cancun, where they take care of tourists and don’t add so many spices to their dishes, the food in local cafes is fully seasoned! So be careful. Also, there are several markets in the city where you can buy not only souvenirs, but also clothes or colorful hammocks. Tulum is famous for its beautiful beaches. This city is often chosen by celebrities for their holidays. And this is not easy - there is no active nightlife here, as in Cancun, for example, the beaches are mostly deserted, so you can fully feel unity with nature. But it’s worth considering that many of the beaches that celebrities flock to are located at a distance from the city. There are also fashionable hotels there. Public beaches, which are popular mainly with local residents, unfortunately cannot boast of their cleanliness. They usually have a lot of algae on them.

Tulum is conveniently located for tourists. You can go sightseeing in this city either as part of an excursion group or on your own. Since I am not a big fan of tour groups, I chose the second method to visit this city. Also, I wanted to explore as much as possible not only the ancient Mayan city, but also modern Tulum. There are buses from the bus station to Tulum from Cancun and Playa del Carmen several times a day. Travel time from Playa is 40 minutes (60 km), from Cancun – 1 hour 30 minutes (130 km). Don't forget to take a swimsuit, hat and glasses with you. Since Tulum is located on the shores of the Caribbean Sea, in an open area, during the day the sun beats down mercilessly.

Arriving in the city you find yourself at a small bus station. It’s not that far from the bus station to the archaeological zone, a leisurely 30-minute walk. Along the way you’ll come across several information desks. Here you can take a map like this or book a guided tour of the ancient Mayan city.

This is the city map you can get at the information desk.

In the middle of the city is the main square, the Zocalo. You definitely won't pass it! Life is in full swing here: street performers in Indian costumes perform. There are also local cafes where you can have a snack. There is a small market on the other side of the square.

Getting carried away by all this, it’s easy to forget the main purpose of visiting Tulum! Therefore, I quickly had a snack and went to the ruins. The road to the ruins is not difficult to find. It starts right from the square. It takes another 15 minutes to walk to the main entrance to the complex. However, there is another way to get to the ruins - a train that runs between the square and the entrance. There is a fee for traveling on it. Since I was still full of strength and determination, I decided to go on foot.

This is a sign pointing towards the road to the ancient city:

There is always a huge queue before entering the archaeological complex. Therefore, you will have to wait for some time to buy tickets. Entrance ticket costs $65 (as of 2016). You can also buy a guide here. Before entering the complex, I recommend that you look into the toilet, since there are none on the territory itself. Well, that’s it, now you can definitely go to explore the ruins.

Ticket to the territory of the archaeological complex

If you are not at all familiar with the history of the city, you can read it briefly here

After passing through the checkpoint, you find yourself on a small stone path overgrown with exotic plants and trees. These trees provide shade and coolness, which is much needed after almost an hour spent in line.

Many palm trees have fruits like this hanging on them.

There are many cacti on the territory of the archaeological complex

There have been no people in the ancient Mayan city for a long time, but the animals liked it! Noses are constantly spinning along this path, they rummage in the ground, completely not paying attention to people. And how many iguanas are there! They are everywhere! Basking in the sun, lying on the stones of the ancient Mayan pyramids. It seems that this has long been their territory!

The noses are looking for something again

And here is their whole family

And this iguana is clearly admiring the beauty of the sea

A shady path will lead you straight to the wall. It is behind it that the archaeological zone begins.

A little more and a stunning view will open up in front of you

Passing through the entrance, the ancient city opens up in full view

To better understand what kind of buildings are located on the territory of Tulum, I’ll tell you a little about its history. The name Tulum itself is translated from the Mayan language as “wall”, “fence”. Probably because the city was surrounded by a wall on three sides. Part of this wall remains to this day. The city itself was located on cliffs 12 meters high. This is one of the few Mayan cities that was not abandoned by them before the arrival of the Spaniards. Residents of the city were mainly engaged in fishing. The city itself flourished for a long time. Only 13 archaeological structures have survived to this day. All of them are badly damaged. Tulum, compared to other archaeological zones of Mexico (Coba, Chichen Itza), is being destroyed more actively. Sea air and winds greatly affect the condition of buildings. Local authorities are trying to preserve this archaeological complex and are restoring many buildings.

The wall formerly surrounding the city

The territory of the archaeological zone is large, therefore, there is never a crush between tourists. Of course, the biggest influx of tourists happens after lunch. But even this does not prevent you from enjoying the views of the ancient city. Several buildings are of greatest interest here:

Territory of the ancient city

Temple "Castle" which is located in the center of the archaeological zone. You definitely won't pass by it. There are always a lot of tourists here and the most beautiful view of the coast. Be careful, in addition to the beautiful view there is also a strong wind! The castle has become a symbol of Tulum. You can find him on all the postcards of the city. This structure was used by the Mayans for ceremonies and religious holidays. The dance platform preserved in the middle is proof of this. The castle is decorated with frescoes and images.

stone remains of a residential building, presumably belonging to an influential citizen. The house got its name from the well that supplied water to the entire city.

– Previously, the walls of this temple were decorated with rich frescoes and paintings. Many of them are now destroyed, some have been restored.

Also, among the surviving buildings there are houses of local residents.

Ruined Mayan houses

Walk slowly around the territory of the complex, go up to the Castle Temple, enjoy the views of the Caribbean Sea and the coast. This is an unforgettable experience! At the bottom of the complex there is a beach where you can swim.

Beach at the bottom of the complex

In bad weather and strong winds (which always seem to blow here), tourists are not allowed on the beach. When I visited Tulum, unfortunately the beach was closed. Since I really wanted to swim on the shores of Tulum and I still had plenty of time left until the evening, I decided to leave the archaeological zone and go to the central city beach. You will immediately understand where to go. As you leave the territory of the ancient city, you will see a sign pointing to the road to the beach.

Sign to the city beach

As it turned out, it took quite a long walk to get there – about 30 minutes along the asphalt along the thickets. But my desire to swim overpowered everything and I went there. The beach turned out to be unequipped; there were no changing rooms, sun loungers, or toilets. The coastline of the beach stretched into the distance for many kilometers. But often it was covered with algae. Therefore, the city beach of Tulum did not make a strong impression on me.

But it offered a truly amazing view of the rock and the Castle temple! What a pleasure it was to plunge into cool water after a hot day in the sun. After relaxing a bit on the beach, I headed back to the city, since my bus was about to arrive.

Let me summarize my impressions, because there were a lot of them that day! Is it worth going to Tulum? - Of course yes! Don't even think about these questions. Seeing the ancient Mayan city and enjoying the postcard views is worth the time spent here. But modern Tulum did not captivate me - the town turned out to be small, with a complete lack of attractions. Despite this, I was able to find advantages in this city - undoubtedly more “Mexican” food, exactly the kind that locals eat, cheap and attractive souvenirs, and prices here are several times lower than resort prices. But the beach upset me a little. In terms of cleanliness and comfort, it is inferior to Cancun beaches, but you will not find this view anywhere else!

Be sure to go to Tulum and set aside a whole day for it!

Tulum- this is three in one: the city, ruins and beaches, or rather, these are all three different Tulums. There is, in fact, nothing to write about the city - one central street dotted with small hotels, shops and restaurants-cafes. You go a little to the side - the village is a village. I have already talked about the pyramids of Tulum. What remains? Yes, yes, beaches!

Tulum is not a chic, bustling resort with huge five-star hotels, like Cancun, or even the crowded provincial Playa del Carmen. Tulum has long, almost deserted beaches where you feel like a grain of sand among the riot of nature. We managed to see only a small part of them, and even then, apparently, not the best, but we managed to get some idea.

All Tulum beaches are public, many have easy access from the road that runs along the coast from ruins to the side Sian Ka'an Nature Reserve(Reserva de la Biósfera Sian-Ka"an). However, many of them can only be accessed through private lands or beach clubs.

Beaches of Tulum

On the first day, as soon as Andryusiks and I arrived in the city of Tulum and checked into the hotel, we went to get acquainted with the beaches. Why waste time, right? Moreover, we had catastrophically little of it left. We started from the very beginning, that is, we got by minibus, and then on foot to the archaeological complex, and from there we wandered to the right. Soon we reached the first, so-called city Santa Fe beach(Playa Santa Fe).

This beach became the starting point. Over the next few hours, we managed to walk along the sea to Avenue Coba Sur, along which we headed back to the city.

There are several beaches in this short stretch:

Santa Fe Beach
Playa Pescadito
Maya Beach
Esperanza Beach
Paraiso Beach
Boca Beach
Las Palmas Beach
Playa Condesa Beach

The names of the beaches appear on signs along the road (Highway 109); there are no identifying marks on the shore.

In general, the picture looks like this: the stretch of coast between the beaches of Santa Fe and Esperanza gave rise to ambivalent feelings. On the one hand, the water turned out to be completely far from ideal, since it was full of algae and in some places was not only not blue, but even worse - black.

On the other hand, the places for walking are very good: very few people, solitude, photogenic boats, lonely cozy houses along the coast, completing the picture.

The closer to Esperanza beach(Playa Esperanza), the shore and water became cleaner, and there were more people, because a hotel was built on it. I note that there are not many hotels in this part of Tulum beaches, and those that exist are not at all like chain giants.

Esperanza Beach is very clean and very crowded. But of course, here is almost the only “crooked” palm tree in the area))

Another distinctive feature of the above-mentioned beaches of Tulum in comparison with those in Cancun and Playa del Carmen is the complete lack of entertainment. No jet skis, parachutes, surfing or other joys of cultural recreation for you. Only sea, sun and sand.

Esperanza is followed by Paraiso beach(Playa Paraiso) and this is where the fun begins. The shore turns from sandy to rocky. At first everything looks very friendly, but the further you go, the stones get bigger and bigger and it’s impossible to get around them. All that remains is to confidently go straight ahead.

Believe me, climbing rocky slopes is not at all easy, but very entertaining. Do not think that where the sea is adjacent to rocks, the coast is empty. Along the rocky coast we found many hotels and houses (even if some were without signs of life), and in some places nice sandy bays, ready to welcome those who wished into their arms.

Half-forgotten private houses are scattered along the rocky coast, which at first glance look completely abandoned. Opposite one of these houses we met a boat with fishermen who had just returned with their catch. Not a bad catch!

Look, these nearby bungalows with hammocks look absolutely fabulous, like shots from a commercial. No pretentiousness or polish, just pure romance and unity with nature.

The farther away, the stones became larger and larger, sharper and sharper. At some point I had to put on sneakers to jump on them more confidently. How to get out of here onto the road is completely unclear; there are no hints of paths. On one side there is the sea, on the other there are impenetrable thickets. You feel trapped, but how beautiful!

But in this pretty bay, Andryusiks and I managed to swim in splendid isolation. Of course, few people are ready to climb through such thorns to the stars))

We swam, rested and began to think about how we could get out of these thorns. There was nothing even close to being on the road. I had to move on in the hope of liberation.

From time to time we came across some paths, but except deep into the thickets, they did not lead us anywhere. To be honest, we were even a little uncomfortable: we couldn’t shake the feeling that we were on someone’s private territory, but we didn’t know how to get out of it.

At the moment when the sandy shore appeared in the distance, we no longer had any strength left. A hotel loomed nearby, to which we headed with the goal of getting through it to the road. A helpful guy took us to the gate, opened the lock and set us free, for which we thank him very much!

We would finally reach the sandy shore and the walk would be much easier. After a couple of kilometers we would reach the end of the Tulum National Park and find ourselves on a strip of sandy beaches stretching for several tens of kilometers. According to one of our readers, these are the beaches - the best in Tulum. It was this beauty that we, tired of climbing over rocks, never saw. Maybe it was a shame that we didn’t come back the next day, or maybe this will be a reason to visit these parts again someday!

Enjoy your holiday in Tulum, dear readers!

How to get to the beaches from Tulum

On the collective: to get to the public beaches near the ruins, you need to get to the pyramid complex and turn right, then the path goes left. Walk until you reach the Acceso Playa publico sign. Walk for 15-20 minutes. Then you can move along the sea along the beaches from one to another.
By bike, taxi, rental car: It's easy to get to any particular beach (if you prefer), as there are a number of beach accesses from the road between the ruins and the Sian Ka'an Nature Reserve (Highway 109).

In the very heart Riviera Maya, 131 km from Cancun, is one of the most visited attractions in Mexico, the image of which is replete with all catalogs of tourist offers. These are ruins against the backdrop of the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo. The ancient settlement is not as well preserved as Palenque, however, it has an additional attraction - magnificent beaches with white sand, dense jungle, in the thicket of which sacred Mayan wells are hidden, cenotes (caves filled with water from underground rivers). We invite you to an interesting excursion around the sights of Tulum - a legendary place in Mexico!

Historical facts about the city of Tulum

Initially Tulum, called Zama, which means dawn, was a defensive fortress of the Mayan Empire. On its walls there were observation towers from which the sea was observed and astrological research was carried out, in particular, the study of Venus. The city was built around 1200 and a couple of centuries later reached its peak as a trading port. Rich merchants lived here, who developed navigational and internal routes for marketing products and communications with other Indian villages and peoples.

In 1518, the chronicler of the history of the conquest Juan Diez who took part in the campaigns Juan de Grijalva, compared Tulum to Seville in its beauty and fabulous wealth. In the early years of the colony, the city was inhabited by the Spaniards, but after 150 years it was abandoned and forgotten.

Priests Tulum practiced the cult of the “morning star”, Venus, which was considered a double god, the patron of trade, was depicted as twins and bore the name Kukulkan. Archaeological excavations have revealed the ceremonial and political center of the city, temples, observatories and sculptures, the stucco of which is dedicated to the religious ideas of the priests of Tulum about the Setting and Rising God. The wall paintings of the sanctuaries also include images of Venus.

Cave lakes or cenotes near Tulum

Three kilometers south of the ruins is Cenote Cristal. This natural body of water, surrounded by palm trees, among which live turtles, iguanas and colorful toucan birds, attracts with the opportunity to practice scuba diving and dive to quite great depths. You can have picnics on the shore of the cenote, but you should be attentive to your belongings - the place is often visited by noses, whose presence can be a real surprise. Other popular cenotes near Tulum are: Gran Cenote, where scuba divers discovered more than 300 miles of interconnected tunnels and chambers, and Escondido, connecting to the Caribbean Sea and having salt water.

These are blue transparent pools where fish and turtles swim, there are convenient platforms for going into the water, and on the banks there are palapas - huts covered with thatch and palm leaves, suitable for relaxation and picnics.

In 1984, 13 km north of the city Tulum An eco-tourist park was organized. It is located on the banks of a natural bay formed by the mouth of an underground river. More than 70 species of aquatic fauna live here, and many sports are practiced by tourists. Another feature of the park is the simultaneous phenomena of thermocline and halocline, which characterize gradients of salinity and temperature of sea water.