I.I.X.I – Tulum: Day One
TULUM
I.I.X.I – DAY ONE
05/09/22
A couple of hours on a bus (no more limos) took me to yet another destination – Tulum. Once again, I knew my time here would prove too short to actually do everything, and so I had to prioritise. I stayed in the residential area and forewent the resort zone, which, in all honesty, I wasn’t that excited about. I felt pretty much done with that scene after my visit to Cancún.
I got to Tulum early in the morning in the midst of its daily downpour. By now I was accustomed to walking through rain or shine, but this time, having all my belonging soaking wet was something I had not experienced before. I ran to my hotel and unpacked every single thing in order to dry everything off under the magic touch of the AC dry mode. By then I had this certain confidence that coming back, everything would be dry. Just a few weeks previously I would have fallen into an abyss of desperation, not knowing how I’d be able to survive eight months with damp, mouldy clothes. Now I knew better. Hell, were I to do this again, I’d probably do it with one third of the stuff I had taken with me!
Having started my one-hour walk towards the ruins of Tulum, the universe decided to repay me with yet another storm. My umbrella held out for as long as five seconds before it broke into several pieces – which, I’m assuming, are still running amok somewhere in the streets. I was walking in knee-deep muddy, rainwater and found myself soaked to the bone, unable to see past a meter in front of my eyes. Cars kept on passing by at full speed, splashing me with one tsunami after the other. Be that as it may, I had my dry bag and swimming trunks on – I was impervious to Chaac’s fury. And so I trudged on, knowing the ruins would be worth the suffering.
Ruins of Tulum
Tulum’s ruins were amongst those I wanted to visit the most. For the first time ever, I’d be wandering the site without a guide, not knowing whether it’d be worth the money saved. Luckily enough, most artefacts and sites were well-labelled and, when that was not enough, I’d supplement using my best friend (Google) and by asking a couple of random guides a question here and there (much to their annoyance).
Tulum, according to various sources, was originally named Zama; a Mayan word meaning ‘dawn’ as the city faced the East where the sun rises. The city is built on the edges of a cliff facing the Caribbean Sea and is surrounded by a set of four-metre-high walls on all sides except the one facing the sea. The coastal city was used as an important port; a convergence of many mercantile routes extending to other centres such as Coba, a nearby city. It is one of the last cities built by the Mayans in around 1200AD, a contemporary of both Chichen Itza and Mayapán, with the latter’s demise consolidating Tulum’s position until the Spanish Conquest. The site features a particular type of architecture called East Coast style which is influenced by the Mayans of Chichen Itza, with various depictions of Ah Muzen Cab, the Diving or Descending God, who is thought to have been connected with Venus.
From the entrance point, I delved into the depths of the jungle, admiring the walls along the way, with a series of gates and watchtowers at regular intervals. A triangular-shaped archway leads into the Interior Precinct; the area surrounded by the walls that houses most of the ruin’s main structures. Having decided I wanted to leave the main attraction for last, I continued onwards where a second gate can be found right next to the cliffside.
Upon entering the main area, I remained dumbstruck. It was unlike anything I had seen thus far. The stark contrast between the white and grey ruins, the green of the grass and trees covering the site and the deep blue of the sea facing it is something mesmerising. Palm trees in the middle of an archaeological site – crazy! By the time I started roaming around, the rain had cleared and the sweltering heat could be felt, with a much welcome sea breeze drying me up and cooling me down at the same time.
From the north-eastern entrance, the first visible structure is the three-chambered House of Cenotes; so called because it was built over a natural cenote. A few steps later, I found myself halting with my jaw to the floor. In the distance, much to my surprise, was quite a familiar view – one that I had been seeing since I started looking into my trip to Mexico. Standing solitarily and mightily on the top of a hill, jutting out of the cliffside, was the Temple of the Wind God; a small temple with a single door, rounded corners associated with Kukulkan and a single altar used for religious purposes. The definition of picturesque – a view I wasn’t expecting to see till much later, hence my detour!
Somehow, I got my eyes to move away from the magnificent vista to continue with the exploration. Being on my own, it really did feel like actual exploration. Tagging along a guide has many advantages but being free to roam around wherever you want for however long you want, is something I quickly learned to appreciate. I mean sure, I had to constantly look things up, but I had all the time in the world to do that!
From there on, I continued onwards to stumble upon a white sandy beach which is usually open to public for swimming but was at the time closed due to it being turtle hatching season. Further south stood the Kukulkan group, a rectangular complex with a small courtyard at the centre with a small platform used for rituals and dancing, and three important temples on the east side facing the sea. At the north-east is the Temple of the Diving God featuring a stucco figure of the Diving God; an upside-down figure with legs splayed out above him. The temple at the south is called the Temple of the Initial Series; featuring yet another stucco relief. Most important of the three and arguably, of the entire archaeological site, is the temple of El Castillo; the largest and most impressive building of all. This is a three-tiered structure with a large central staircase leading to the temple at the top which contains two rooms and a depiction of the Diving God on its façade.
Facing this large complex is yet another one that is found on an elevated area, consisting of three more structures. Starting from the northernmost structure, there’s the Palace of Halach Uinic which, quite unoriginally by this point, features yet another stucco figure of the Diving God. Then there’s the House of the Columns consisting of two long rooms with four columns at the entrance. And then, the most notable of the three, the Temple of the Frescoes. This structure is made up of two storeys, with the top being a single-chambered temple which was used as an astronomical observatory. On its façade is – yep, you friggin guessed it, the Diving God; only this one’s etched in stone.
Spread around the site are numerous other structures with numerous other depictions of the Diving God, so I’ll spare you their descriptions. But, just in case the point hasn’t come across… The Diving God was a big deal around here.
Playa Santa Fe
After taking my time exploring the site, chasing the orange male iguanas and their green female counterparts and wondering how brain coral fossils made it all the way up there, I made my way out of the site and walked all the way to Playa Santa Fe. From there, I was practically dragged onto boat ride by a very eager bar owner who needed at least one more person to complete a group. I wasn’t gonna start saying no to more adventures at that point now, was I?
The boat took us directly to the front of El Castillo and the Temple of the Wind God, a vista one could appreciate from the beach underneath the ruins. After taking it all in, the captain took us to a snorkelling spot around five minutes away. All goggled and finned up, I jumped into the sea, not knowing the spectacle that was awaiting me underneath. Having baited the fish with… well, more fish, the waters were swarmed with all kinds of marine creatures; from blue-headed wrasses to blue tangs, from grey snappers to glassy sweepers, and then, much to our surprise, southern stingrays!
I had seen them on the submarine tour a few days previously but little did I think I’d be swimming with them! Aptly named, these mud brown, diamond-shaped creatures have a tail longer than their body with a sharp, venomous barb at the base; which they use to scare or fight off predators; of which hammerhead sharks are the commonest. A couple of hawksbill sea turtles joined in as we stared in amazement. There we were, floating around in a literal sea of fish, turtles, and stingrays. Pure bliss and wonder!
