A First Look at the Mayan City of Tulum in Quintana Roo, Mexico

The second Mayan archeological site I visited in Quintana Roo, Mexico was the coastal city of Tulum . Â The city was at its height between the 13th and 15th centuries .  Tulum was unusual in that it was a walled city with the walls serving both for defense and to separate the sacred part of the city from the ordinary citizens .  The descriptive plaque describing the walls states:

Muralla

Tulum is surrounded by a huge stone wall .  Its height is irregular since it follows the contours of the land and it is rectangular shaped with only three sides; that which faces the sea was naturally protected .  Without a doubt, the wall had a defensive purpose although it also served to establish the limits of the “sacred” area .  It has five doorways or entrances:  one facing west, two to the north and two more to the south .  From the inside, one can climb the wall by using the stairs specially built for this purpose.

One enters Tulum through one of several gates through the wall .  Inside the gates, the structures are numbered for archeological purposes .  Structures 20 and 34 are similar, except for the degree of disrepair.

Entrance Sign to Tulum

Entrance Sign to Tulum

SOURCE: Â Entrance Sign to Tulum (Tulum, Quintana Roo, México); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 03 February 2012.

Wall and Gateway to TulumWall and Gateway to Tulum

SOURCE: Â Wall and Gateway to Tulum (Tulum, Quintana Roo, México); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 03 February 2012.

Structure 34 in TulumStructure 20 in Tulum

SOURCE:  Structure 20 in Tulum (Tulum, Quintana Roo, México); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 03 February 2012.

Structure 34 in TulumStructure 34 in Tulum

SOURCE:  Structure 34 in Tulum (Tulum, Quintana Roo, México); photographed by Stephen J. Danko on 03 February 2012.

Copyright © 2012 by Stephen J. Danko

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