Interline Adventures....

THE TULUM RUINS:

JUST ME AND THE MAYANS

I love the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. The convenient combination of sun, sand, and crystal-clear surf never get old. But I also like the old side of the Yucatan, where the history of the Mayans can easily be explored from almost any peninsula base. Whether you're coming from a Cancun, Cozumel, a cruise ship, or somewhere else, it's easy to become one with the Mayans.

My favorite Mayan adventure involves famed Tulum. Ideally located just down the coast from Cancun, the Mayans picked an ideal waterfront site for one of their most famous locations.

Because Tulum is so convenient, it can get crowded with tourists during the middle of the day. While staying in Cancun recently, I arranged for a taxi the night before, got up early, and took the fun two-hour drive down the coast. I was waiting at the main entrance when the gate opened at 8am and was the first one inside the ruins. For almost an hour it was just me and the Mayans.

I had read a ton about the Mayan culture and particularly about Tulum the night before, but I was still unprepared for this spectacular place. The Mayans really knew how to live.

The location overlooking the Caribbean is ideal, with stunning sunrises and sunsets among the reasons the Mayans must have chosen this site. Of course, tribal conflicts and Spanish invaders also meant the site was easily protected, with 40-foot cliffs down to the sea and the other three sides guarded by walls 20 feet thick and ten or more feet high.

Tulum was the home of many of the highest-ranking Mayans in the area from 1000 A.D. to about 1600 A.D. Originally called "Zama," or "place of the dawning," Tulum grew into one of the most massive and important ceremonial and cultural centers of the area.

Spaniards first set foot near Tulum in 1511 and one man, Gonzalo Guerrero, ended up adopting the Mayan culture, becoming a military leader, and marrying the daughter of a king. He helped repulse future Spanish attacks on Tulum, but revolt of Mayan peasants actually forced the abandonment of Tulum around 1600.

When John Stephens and Frederick Catherwood visited the massive ruins in 1842, Tulum was completely overgrown. He documented his early findings and drew much attention to the site, but only recently have tourists come in large numbers. These were the exact tourists I successfully avoided by arriving early.

Just inside the main gate, the ruins they now call Structure 20 were once a royal palace. Nearby, the Funerary Platform includes a cross-shaped grave. Here, archaeologists found human and animal bone fragments (the animals were thought to provide sustenance in the afterlife for Mayans). But these two structures were just the warm-up for what was ahead.

Directly in front of me, I was immediately drawn to El Castillo. This imposing structure is Tulum's tallest building and served as the watchtower fortress overlooking the Caribbean. The steep steps led to the top, which provided a stunning view of the sea and a quiet beach, just as the Mayans must have seen it. This was the perfect place for my early-morning meditation on the mysteries of the Mayan world.

After descending the steps, more Mayan mysteries await. At the Temple of the Descending God, there's a carving above the temple doorway that depicts a deity descending to ground headfirst. This mysterious carving may be a bee god (honey was a favorite Mayan food), but many think that this was an early extra-terrestrial. In either case, it was definitely food for thought.

Originally built around 1450, the Temple of the Frescoes was another highlight. This temple has several fine examples of carvings of the diving god, equipped with wings and a bird's tail. Behind bars, there's also a pretty mural painted in three levels to show the three realms of the Mayan universe: the underworld of the deceased; the living; and the heavens of the creator and rain gods.

Other highlights I was able to explore before the crowds descended were the Great Palace, the House of the Cenote, the Temple of the Initial Series, and the House of Columns. In addition, I got some great overall pictures from a place called the Snail Platform.

But by 9am or so, Tulum was bustling with tourists and the sun was getting higher in the sky. At the recommendation of my early-morning taxi driver, I did a little shopping just outside Tulum's gates and then headed into the small town of Tulum for a local Mexican lunch and a siesta in a resident's hammock. I awoke about 3pm, as recommended, and headed back to Tulum. By then the crowds had left and I had a magnificent Caribbean sunset to myself. Again, it was just me and the Mayans.

BLURB POSSIBILITIES

--"We were amid the wildest scenery we had yet found in Yucatan; and, besides the deep and exciting interest in the ruins themselves, we had around us what we wanted in all the other places, the magnificence of nature."--John Stephens, 1842

--When Spaniard Gonzalo Guerrero adopted Mayan ways and married the daughter of a Mayan king, their three children were the first known blending of Indian and Spanish blood.

--Though Tulum doesn't have the huge pyramids and other structures of other ruins like Chichen Itza or Uxmal, Frank Lloyd Wright was said to be greatly influenced by the architecture.

--Along with taking a taxi or tour bus from Cancun, it's also easy for internliners to arrange a trip from Cozumel, Playa del Carmen, a cruise ship anchored off the coast, or virtually anywhere else you're visiting in the Yucatan Peninsula.

Other ruins of interest in the Yucatan Peninsula include: Chichen Itza, Uxmal, Coba, Balankanche, Mayapan, Dzibilchaltun, and, a bit further afield, Palenque (which many call the most beautiful ruins in Mexico).